Abstract

A combination of flame hydrolysis glass deposition and reactive ion etching has enabled the fabrication of fiber-compatible high-silica channel optical waveguides on silicon substrates.¹ In many single-mode applications–optical interference systems, for example–birefringence characteristics of waveguides are the crucial factors affecting the stability and sensitivity of the system. This paper describes birefringence value control in high-silica single-mode channel waveguides in fabrication of a polarization-insensitive guided-wave Mach-Zehnder interferometer as an optical-frequency-division multi/ demultiplexer.^2,3

© 1987 Optical Society of America