Construction of Two-Dimensional Waveguides in Insulating Optical Materials by Means of Ion Beam Implantation for Photonic Applications: Fabrication Methods and Research Progress

Ion beam implantation has been used not only to modify some properties of the bulk materials but also to construct waveguide structures in many optical substrates by accurate control the refractive index in selected regions. This paper reviews the recent development of ion beam implantations on fabrication of two-dimensional (2D) optical waveguides, i.e., in cases of channel or ridge configurations, in diverse insulating optical materials by giving detailed fabrication methods and research progress obtained to date. Future prospects of practical applications in photonics are also discussed briefly. Another aim of this work is to show the challenging task of this field, that is, to create practical 2D waveguide devices applicable in any existing insulating optical materials.