Optical waveguide and method for its manufacture

US5035916A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Nortel Networks Limited · CA

Inventors

• Alexander Kalnitsky · San Francisco, US
• Joseph P. Ellul · Ottawa, CA
• Albert R. Boothroyd · Ottawa, CA

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 28, 1990
• Grant date: Jul 30, 1991
• Expiry date: Mar 28, 2010

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B6/1347
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An optical waveguide is made by forming a layer of SiO.sub.2 on a substrate and implanting a region of the SiO.sub.2 layer with Si ions to define a region containing a stoichiometric excess of Si which defines a region having an elevated refractive index surrounded by a region having a lower refractive index. The resulting optical waveguide is stable at the high temperatures required for many semiconductor processing methods, and is useful for optical interconnection in integrated optical and optoelectronic devices.