Optical properties of He+-implanted fused silica glass waveguides

An optical waveguide is an important dielectric device that guides the propagation of light waves. Ion implantation is a competitive waveguide preparation technique with advantages including reliance, simpleness and flexibility. In this work, a 400-keV helium ion implantation with a fluence of 6.0 x 10(16) ions/cm(2) was carried out to manufacture a planar waveguide on the surface of the fused silica glass. The formation mechanism of the waveguide was analyzed by the nuclear energy deposition based on the SRIM 2013 and the refractive index distribution with the help of the reflectivity calculation method (RCM). The geometry structure and the guiding performance of the waveguide were studied by the metallographic microscope and the end-face coupling system, respectively. The investigation on the fabrication and characteristics of fused silica glass optical waveguides is of great significance for the development of passive devices in the field of optical communications.