Glasses for passive integrated optical devices

Integrated ion exchanged devices on glass seems to be as one of the most promising technologies for the development of optoelectronic field. That is due to the potentiality of glass material, facility and flexibility of the fabrication process, the cost of the elaborated devices and the high performances of these components. In this paper, a review on glasses used for ion exchanged structures is given. The structure and the influence of the composition on the glass properties are presented. The ion exchange technology is described. The relation between the glass compositions and the exchanged ions is treated. Some compositions of glasses suited to this technology and the characteristics of elaborated structures are given. Finally selection criteria of glasses adapted to this technology are proposed.