OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To select a glass material suitable for providing an excellent optical waveguide with small propagation losses by condensing a laser beam having a high peak output value into the inside of the glass. SOLUTION: In an optical waveguide 6 which has a continuous refractive index change area formed in the glass material by condensing the laser beam 2 having an amount of energy for causing a photoinduced refractive index change in the glass material 1 and displacing a condensing point 4 relatively in the glass material 1, glass containing Al2O3 is used as the glass material. It is more desirable for the glass to contain Al2O3 and SiO2.