Glass waveguides made using low melting point nitrate mixtures

Silver-sodium ion exchange is a commonly used method for making waveguides in glass. This paper discusses two exchange media, KNO(3):AgNO(3) and AgNO(3) in NaNO(3):KNO(3) which increase the flexibility of the process and decrease its cost. Exchange in the KNO(3):AgNO(3) can be performed at temperatures as low as 150 degrees C, which is particularly useful for field assisted exchange. When exchange is performed in a NaNO(3):KNO(3) eutectic with small (