Abstract

The ion exchange process in glass is an important fabrication method for waveguides as well as for gradient index microlenses [1]. The diffusion response and therefore the shape of the gradient index distribution is variable due to many exchange parameters. Different glass-types and different exchange pairs, showing different degree of non-linearity of the exchange process influence the steepness of the profiles, whereas the symmetry of the index-distribution is changeable by mask-design [2]. For the user of microlenses as well as for the manufacturer, it is important to know the imaging properties of the different index profiles.

© 1994 Optical Society of America