Fabrication of low loss channel waveguide in tungsten-tellurite glass by 11 MeV carbon ion microbeam for telecom C band

Abstract

Channel waveguides were directly written in Er: TeO2W2O3 glass using 11 MeV C4+ ion microbeam with fluences in the range of 1·1014–5·1016 ion/cm2. The channel waveguides supported a single guided mode at λ = 1540 nm. Propagation losses of the as-irradiated channel waveguides were around 14 dB/cm. A 30-min thermal annealing at 150 °C in air reduced propagation losses at λ = 1400 nm to 1.5 dB/cm. This method produced channel waveguides with confinement and propagation losses comparable to or better than other current methods, such as MeV energy focused proton or helium ion beam writing. Keywords: Integrated optics, Rare earth doped materials, Channel waveguides, Optical design and fabrication, Microstructure fabrication