Experimental study of Cu(+)-Na(+) exchanged glass waveguides

Optical waveguides have been obtained by field-assisted Cu(+)-Na(+) exchanged on glass. The refractive index profiles of the waveguides are determined by means of the prism-coupling technique and Chiang's method [J. Lightwave Technol. LT-3, 385 (1985)], and they correlate with the index profile calculated as a function of the glass composition. The composition profile is examined with the aid of a scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray analysis, and the diffusion process is explained by the one-dimensional diffusion equation.