METHOD OF FORMING HIGH QUALITY WAVEGUIDE BY VAPOR-PHASE PROTON-EXCHANGE PROCESS WITH POST-ANNEALING AND REVERSED PROTON EXCHANGE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an improved method for forming a waveguide.

SOLUTION: The method of manufacturing the waveguide in a ferroelectric crystal consists of the following steps. The step by which the ferroelectric crystal is given. The step by which a vapor-phase proton is diffused into the ferroelectric crystal by a vapor-phase proton-exchange process to form a vapor- phase proton-exchange (VPE) waveguide material structure having a step refractive index profile. The step in which the VPE waveguide material structure is handled by one or more steps selected from the group consisting of a post- thermal annealing step and an additional reversed proton-exchange step to complete the fabrication of the waveguide, by which the refractive index profile of the fabricated waveguide can be flexibly optimized. This method can form a high-quality waveguide and also provides a full degree of design flexibility for device optimization in several applications.

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