Low-loss waveguides formed in high-transmission glass using ag-na ion exchange
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsLars Martin Otfried Brusberg, Davide Domenico Fortusini
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Abstract
The low-loss ion exchanged (IOX) waveguide disclosed herein includes a glass substrate having a top surface and comprising an alkali-aluminosilicate glass with between 3 and 15 mol % of Na2O and a concentration of Fe of 20 parts per million (ppm) or less. The glass substrate includes a buried Ag—Na IOX region, wherein this region and a surrounding portion of glass substrate define the IOX waveguide. The IOX waveguide has an optical loss OL≤0.05 dB/cm and a birefringence magnitude |B|≤0.001. The glass substrate with multiple IOX waveguides can be used as an optical backplane for systems having optical functionality and can find use in data center and high-performance data transmission applications.
Claims22
A method of forming an ion-exchanged (IOX) waveguide in a substrate, comprising:
- a) forming a mask on a top surface of the substrate, the mask defining at least one opening to the top surface, wherein the substrate comprises an alkali-aluminosilicate glass including Na and having a concentration of Fe equal to 50 parts per million (ppm) or less;
- b) performing a first IOX process by providing a silver salt bath atop the top surface of the substrate and the mask, wherein, during the first IOX process, Ag+ ions exchange with Na+ ions from the top surface of the substrate through the at least one opening in the mask so as to form an initial IOX region having a maximum refractive index at the top surface of the substrate;
- and
- c) performing a second IOX process by providing a sodium salt bath atop the top surface of the substrate, wherein, during the second IOX process, Na+ ions exchange with Ag+ ions from the initial IOX region of the top surface of the substrate to form from the initial IOX region a buried IOX region having a maximum refractive index below the top surface of the substrate, the buried IOX region and a surrounding portion of the substrate defining an IOX waveguide having an optical loss OL≤0.05 dB/cm and a birefringence magnitude |B|≤0.001, wherein the second IOX process is an Na—Ag IOX process.
A substrate with an ion-exchanged (IOX) waveguide formed by a process comprising:
- a) forming a mask on a top surface of the substrate, the mask defining at least one opening to the top surface, wherein the substrate comprises an alkali-aluminosilicate glass including Na and having a concentration of Fe equal to 50 parts per million (ppm) or less;
- b) performing a first IOX process by providing a silver salt bath atop the top surface of the substrate and the mask, wherein, during the first IOX process, Ag+ ions exchange with Na+ ions from the top surface of the substrate through the at least one opening in the mask so as to form an initial IOX region having a maximum refractive index at the top surface of the substrate;
- and
- c) performing a second IOX process by providing a sodium salt bath atop the top surface of the substrate, wherein, during the second IOX process, Na+ ions exchange with Ag+ ions from the initial IOX region of the top surface of the substrate to form from the initial IOX region a buried IOX region having a maximum refractive index below the top surface of the substrate, the buried IOX region and a surrounding portion of the substrate defining an IOX waveguide having an optical loss OL≤0.05 dB/cm and a birefringence magnitude |B|≤0.001, wherein the second IOX process is an Na—Ag IOX process.
A device optically coupled with a substrate with an ion-exchanged (IOX) waveguide formed by a process comprising:
- a) forming a mask on a top surface of the substrate, the mask defining at least one opening to the top surface, wherein the substrate comprises an alkali-aluminosilicate glass including Na and having a concentration of Fe equal to 50 parts per million (ppm) or less;
- b) performing a first IOX process by providing a silver salt bath atop the top surface of the substrate and the mask, wherein, during the first IOX process, Ag+ ions exchange with Na+ ions from the top surface of the substrate through the at least one opening in the mask so as to form an initial IOX region having a maximum refractive index at the top surface of the substrate;
- c) performing a second IOX process by providing a sodium salt bath atop the top surface of the substrate, wherein, during the second IOX process, Na+ ions exchange with Ag+ ions from the initial IOX region of the top surface of the substrate to form from the initial IOX region a buried IOX region having a maximum refractive index below the top surface of the substrate, the buried IOX region and a surrounding portion of the substrate defining an IOX waveguide having an optical loss OL≤0.05 dB/cm and a birefringence magnitude |B|≤0.001, wherein the second IOX process is an Na—Ag IOX process;
- and
- d) optically coupling the IOX waveguide with a remainder of the device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.