Planar Optical Waveguide In Potassium Titanyl Arsenate Formed By Oxygen Ion Implantation At Low Doses

Monomode, nonleaky planar optical waveguides have been fabricated in x-cut biaxial crystal potassium titanyl arsenate (KTiOAsO4 or KTA) by 3.0 MeV O+ ion implantation at doses from 5x10(12) to 1x10(14) ions/cm(2) at room temperature. The waveguide properties were characterized by the method of prism coupling at 633 nm. Positive changes of both n(x) and n(y) refractive indices (corresponding TE and TM polarized light separately) occur in the waveguide region. The propagation loss of the waveguide formed at a dose of 5x10(13) ions/cm(2) was reduced to 0.66 dB/cm after annealing at 230 degrees C for 30 minutes. Continuous and homogeneous magnified field pattern of the propagation light in the annealed waveguide was collected and studied by end-coupling method. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.