Optical waveguides and devices including same
AssigneeUniversity of Southampton
InventorsGilberto Brambilla, Valerio Pruneri, Laurence Reekie
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Optical waveguides having a waveguide channel of photosensitive silica glass with a modified refractive index optically written therein, wherein the photosensitive glass comprises oxides of silicon, tin and at least one Group I element, where such optical waveguide devices include optical fiber gratings, optical fiber dispersion compensators, optical fiber sensors, optical fiber lasers, and planar waveguide devices.
Claims82
An optical waveguide having a waveguiding channel of photosensitive silica glass with a modified refractive index optically written therein, wherein the photosensitive glass comprises oxides of silicon, tin and at least one Group I element.
An optical fiber waveguide having a core of photosensitive silica glass with a modulated refractive index profile optically written therein, wherein the photosensitive glass of the core comprises oxides of silicon, tin and at least one Group I element.
A planar waveguide having a layer of photosensitive silica glass, the layer having at least one waveguiding channel of modified refractive index optically written therein, wherein the photosensitive glass of the layer comprises oxides of silicon, tin and at least one Group I element.
A laser comprising a waveguide according to claim go wherein the laser comprises a pair of Bragg reflectors optically written into the photosensitive glass which bounds a gain region formed in a further waveguiding channel of a further photosensitive glass.
An optical waveguide device comprising:
- an optical waveguide formed at least in part of photosensitive silica glass, wherein the photosensitive glass is doped with tin as a photosensitizing dopant;
- and
- a refractive index variation optically impressed on the photosensitive glass of the optical waveguide;
- wherein the photosensitive glass is doped additionally with a Group I element as a dopant for increasing solubility of tin in the glass.
A method of fabricating an optical waveguide, the method comprising:
- providing a photosensitive silica glass doped with tin as a photosensitizing dopant and a Group I element as a dopant for increasing solubility of tin in the photosensitive glass;
- and
- exposing regions of the photosensitive glass to refractive index change inducing optical radiation, the exposed regions providing a light-guiding core of raised refractive index within the photosensitive glass.
A process for increasing the sensitivity of silica optical glass to light-induced refractive index variations, the process comprising:
- doping the optical glass with tin as a photosensitizing dopant in combination with a Group I element as a further dopant for incorporating increased amounts of tin in the optical glass, thereby to increase the sensitivity of the optical glass to light induced refractive index variation;
- and
- exposing regions of the optical glass to varying optical radiation to modulate the refractive index of the optical glass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.