Micro- and submicrometric waveguiding structures in optical crystals produced by ion beams for photonic applications

Energetic ion beams with diverse energies, species and beam dimensions have been extensively utilized to modify the properties of materials to achieve versatile applications in many aspects of industry, agriculture and scientific research. In optics, the ion-beam technology has been applied to fabricate various micro- and submicrometric guiding structures on a wide range of optical crystals through the efficient modulation of the refractive indices or structuring of the surface, realizing various applications in many branches of photonics. The ion-beam fabricated optical waveguides and other photonic structures have shown good guiding performance as well as properties related to the materials, suggesting promising potential for many aspects of photonics. This paper gives the state-of-the-art review of fabrication, characterization and application on the ion-beam-processed micro- and submicrometric photonic structures by highlighting the most recent research progress. A brief prospect is presented by focusing on a few potential spotlights.