Ecole Polytechnique

Canadian Patents and Development Limited/societe Canadienne Des Brevets

Seyed-Iraj Najafi

Kenneth O Hill

Derwyn C Johnson

Francois C Bilodeau

John F Currie

The present disclosure describes an optical waveguide device and a method for making such device. The device comprises a substrate; a waveguide embedded in the substrate, the waveguide having a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the substrate; and first and second optical mirrors placed respectively in two different positions along the waveguide. The method comprises steps of (a) cleaning a substrate by means of a cleaning agent; (b) embedding a waveguide in the substrate; and (c) placing first and second optical mirrors respectively at two different positions in the substrate, the steps (b) and (c) being performed in such a manner that the mirrors being positioned along the waveguide.

Optical waveguide device and method for making such device

The present disclosure makes a grating assisted optical waveguide device. The method includes cleaning a substrate made of glass by means of cleaning agents; depositing a first layer made of metal onto a surface of the substrate by an evaporation process; forming a first mask by making openings in the first layer to expose first parts of the surface, the first mask being formed by a photolithographic process; immersing the substrate in a first bath of molten salt having a first preselected temperature to make a waveguide by increasing the refractive index of the glass in the first parts by an ion-exchange process; removing the first mask from the surface; immersing the substrate in a second bath of molten salt in order to bury the waveguide; depositing a second layer made of metal on the surface of the substrate by an evaporation process; forming a second mask by making openings in the second layer to expose second parts of the surface, the second mask being formed by a photolithographic process; immersing the substrate in a third bath of molten salt having a third preselected temperature to change the refractive index of the glass in the second parts by an ion-exchange process in order to form a grating, the refractive index obtained in this third immersing step being different from the refractive index obtained in the first immersing step, the third preselected temperature being lower than the first preselected temperature to avoid further diffusion of ions diffused in substrate in the first bath; and removing the second mask from the surface to obtain the grating assisted optical waveguide device.

Growing community of inventors

Dollard des Ormeaux, Canada

Seyed-Iraj Najafi