The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 04, 2003
Filed:
Jun. 19, 2001
Mark L. F. Phillips, Hayward, CA (US);
Travis P. S. Thoms, San Lorenzo, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
A method for forming waveguides in an optical material such as lithium niobate comprises the steps of providing an exchange agent including a proton-supplying medium and a catalyst, and exposing a selected portion of the optical material to the exchange agent for a predetermined time and at a predetermined temperature. Preferably, the catalyst is a metallic cation having a valence of at least +2, and the proton-supplying medium is a weak acid with a pKa of greater than about 4.5 or a lithium-buffered (“starved”) acidic solution. The catalyst accelerates the rate at which protons are exchanged with corresponding ions in the optical material lattice, thereby reducing the time required to produce a waveguide in the exposed portion of the optical material.