Stress waveguides in bulk crystalline materials

A method for forming optical waveguide devices in bulk optically transparent crystalline material comprising the steps of:

• depositing a thin layer of material bonded onto the surface of the body of bulk crystalline material;
• heating said thin layer to change the state of said layer and stress the layer to a final stress level relative to the surface of said bulk crystalline material sufficient to produce a shift in the index of refraction of said bulk crystalline material sufficient for confining optical radiation;
• and
• masking and etching open guideways through said thin layer approximately 1 .mu.m to 10 .mu.m in width in a predetermined pattern, whereby single mode stress optical waveguides are formed in the bulk crystalline material adjacent to the surface thereof immediately below the longitudinally extending guideways.

A method for forming optical waveguide devices in bulk semiconductor material comprising the steps of:

• depositing a thin layer of material bonded onto the surface of the body of semiconductor material;
• heating said thin layer of material to change the state of said layer and stress the layer to a final relatively high stress level relative to the surface of said semiconductor material, sufficient to make an abrupt change in the dielectric constant of the semiconductor material at the edges of said layer;
• and
• forming a breaks or guideways through the layer, whereby single mode stress optical waveguides are formed in the semiconductor material adjacent the surface thereof immediately below said breaks or guideways.

An optical waveguide device comprising:

• a body of bulk, substantially optically transparent, semiconductor material having a first predetermined surface;
• a first zone comprising at least one predetermined area of said surface, said area defining at least one predetermined region in said semiconductor material wherein at least one stress waveguide is formed, respective ones of said areas corresponding to respective ones of said regions;
• a second zone comprising at least one area of said surface immediately adjacent to respective at least one said area of said first zone;
• and
• means for providing substantial levels of compressive stress in said semiconductor material under said first zone sufficient to produce said at least one stress waveguide, said means including a thin layer of heat-treated material under substantial stress at least approximately on the order of 10.sup.10 dynes per square centimeter or more bonded to said surface and covering only one of said zones, said at least one stress waveguide produced thereby being a single-mode waveguide.

An optial waveguide device comprising:

• a body of bulk, substantially optically transparent, semiconductor material having a first predetermined surface;
• and
• a thin layer of material bonded to said first predetermined surface, said material being under substantial stress on the order of 10.sup.10 dynes per square centimeter or more relative to said body of semiconductor material;
• said layer having a longitudinally extending open spaces or open guideways on the order of 1 .mu.m to 10 .mu.m in width extending along said first predetermined surface, whereby single mode optical stress waveguides are produced within said semiconductor material immediately below said open guideways as a result of the surface stresses produced by said layer.