Modeling of ion-exchanged glass waveguide structures

Glass waveguide devices fabricated by ion exchange have evolved to the point where conventional assumptions of waveguide symmetry and mutual independence are no longer valid. We describe a modeling tool that allows for the presence of an arbitrary, nonhomogeneous electric field distribution during the ion exchange process. An asymmetric waveguide produced by selective field-assisted burial is modeled and discussed. A directional coupler fabricated by field-assisted thermal ion exchange and subsequent field-assisted burial is modeled, and it is shown that a proximity effect exists in which the waveguides exert a mutual influence upon each other during processing.