Planar waveguides prepared by K⁺–Na⁺ field-assisted ion exchange in different types of silicate glass

The goal of this work was to address the technological problems associated with waveguide preparation by thermal- and electric-field–assisted K⁺–Na⁺ ion exchange in two types of soda-lime glass: common FTD and special pure GIL49. The number of modes, depth, profile, and the change in refractive index were measured for waveguides prepared at temperatures between 250 and 410 °C and electric-field values between 0 and 50 V/mm. Although the influence of some admixture content inside the glass was relatively high, all of these parameters were controlled accurately and repeatedly by the electric field.