Abstract

Ion exchange has proved to be one of the simplest and most effective means for making optical waveguides in glasses. Even when only soda-lime glasses are considered, the variety of ions which can be used to replace the sodium in the glass gives this process substantial though not unlimited flexibility. The most commonly used ions for exchange in soda-lime glass are silver, potassium, and thallium. Properties of guides made by exchange in nitrates of these ions are summarized in Table 1.

© 1987 Optical Society of America