Abstract

Photosensitivity can be induced in silica¹ and Ge-doped silica² by high energy ion implantation. The optical absorption induced in the ultraviolet region by the implantation can be substantially reduced by exposure to excimer laser light resulting in a polarisation dependent³ change in the refractive index at longer wavelengths. This refractive index change can be related to the variation in the absorption by Kramers-Kronig analysis^4,5. We describe here, the result of a series of experiments undertaken to determine the effects of ion implantation on the photosensitivity of silica and Ge-doped silica planar waveguide structures.

© 1995 Optical Society of America