JPS60158407A - Production of optical waveguide - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To form a high refractive index part of a prescribed pattern by immersing the other surface of a substrate on which an electrode 14 is formed into the 1st molten salt contg. no exchange ion and scanning the same with the pen- shaped tip filled therein with the 2nd molten salt contg. the exchange ion thereby subjecting the surface to an ion exchange. CONSTITUTION:An outside vessel 11 is constituted of a side wall 12 and a base plate 13. The plate 13 is a glass substrate forming an optical waveguide and an electrode 14 is formed over the entire outside surface thereof. A molten salt 15 contg. no Ag<+> ion is filled in the vessel 11. A pen-shaped inside vessel is constituted of a circumferential wall 17, a tip sealing part 18 and a valve 19. A molten salt 20 contg. Ag<+> ion is filled in the vessel 16. The salt 20 contacts with the inside base of the substrate 13 via the fine hole 21 in the part 18. The surface scanned by the vessel 16 is subjected to an ion exchange by controlling the scanning speed at the tip of the vessel 16, the voltage impressed between the electrode 14 and the molten salt 15 and between the electrode 14 and the molten salt 20 and the time when said voltage is impressed. The high refractive index part of the prescribed pattern advances to the inside and an optical waveguide 26 is formed on the substrate 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical waveguide, and particularly to a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional optical waveguide in an arbitrary pattern in a substrate such as glass.

(b) Prior Art Generally, one of the methods for manufacturing optical waveguides is the glass ion exchange method. In the conventional glass ion exchange method, as shown in FIG. 1, a metal electrode 2 is formed on the entire one side of a glass substrate 1, and a mask pattern 6 is formed on the other side by sputtering Ti. As shown in FIG. 2, the mask pattern 6 side of the glass substrate 1 is immersed in the molten salt 5 containing Ag+ ions filled in the tank 4, and the main plate 2 is heated.
l1 (→.

Using the molten salt 5 as (g), a stain pressure Ea was applied to the power source 6 to cause Ap+ ions to penetrate into the non-masked area, thereby forming a high refractive index area in that area.

However, in this conventional method of manufacturing an optical waveguide, the pattern of the optical waveguide to be created is determined by the mask pattern AY, T i, so it is impossible to create an arbitrary pattern without a mask pattern, and furthermore, it is difficult to obtain an arbitrary pattern. The optical waveguide is
Only surfaces parallel to the front and back of the board could be configured.

(c) The purpose of the invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional manufacturing method described above, and to produce not only two-dimensional waveguides but also six-dimensional waveguides in any pattern.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an optical waveguide that can also create a dimensional waveguide.

2) Structure To achieve the second object, the present invention comprises a bath of molten salt with an outer layer which does not contain exchanged ions, such as A.

The system is divided into internal tanks containing exchanged ions, and an electric field is applied individually to each tank, and the internal tanks are scanned over the glass substrate in a desired pattern. That is, the method for manufacturing an optical waveguide of the present invention is as follows.

The other side of the substrate with electrodes formed on one side is immersed in a first molten salt that does not contain exchanged ions, and the tip of a pen-shaped tank filled with a second molten salt that contains exchanged ions is inserted into the substrate. A second molten salt is locally brought into contact with the substrate in contact with the other surface, and a voltage can be individually applied between the electrode and the first molten salt and between the electrode and the second molten salt. While scanning the other surface of the substrate with the tip of the pen-shaped tank, the scanning speed is adjusted to the applied voltage between the electrode and the first molten salt, the electrode and the second molten salt. , and the application time are controlled to perform ion exchange on the surface scanned by the tip of the pen-shaped tank to form a high refractive index portion in a predetermined pattern.

(e) Examples The present invention will be explained in more detail below using examples.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes an external tank, which is composed of a side wall 12 made of Teflon material or the like and a bottom plate 16. This bottom plate 13 is a glass substrate on which an optical waveguide is to be formed, and extends over the entire outer surface.

A metal electrode 14 is formed.

The interior of the external tank 11 does not contain any A ion.

It is filled with molten salt 15.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a pen-shaped inner tank having a peripheral wall 17 made of aluminum, ceramic, or quartz, a tip seal part 18 made of sapphire, and a pulp 19 made of sapphire.
It is composed of. This internal tank 16 is filled with molten salt 20 containing A9 ions. Also, internal tank 1
As shown in FIG. 4, a thin hole 21 is provided at the tip of the tip 6. As shown in FIG.

Since the sealing portion 18 is in contact with the inner bottom surface of the glass substrate 13, the molten salt 20 passes through the narrow hole 21.

It is in contact with the inner bottom surface of the glass substrate 16. This molten salt 2
A valve 19 adjusts the degree of contact and cuts off the zero contact. Note that the molten salt 20 is sealed by the seal portion 18.
It is completely sealed with the molten salt 15.

Further, a voltage Eb1 is applied between the molten salt 15 and the electrode 14 from a power source 26 via a switch 22, and similarly, a voltage Eb1 is applied between the molten salt 15 and the electrode 14.
0 and 't! Between pole 1 and pole 4, power supply 2 is connected via switch 24.
5, the trap is set so that the stain pressure Eb2 is applied. Note that the voltages Eb1 and Eb2 are (+) on the molten salt 15.20 side.
When the electrode 14 is applied with the polarity of (→, the switch 22.2
4 can be turned on/off individually.

Furthermore, the on/off duration can be controlled arbitrarily. Also, voltage suppressor Eb1. Eb2 is also configured to be variable and controllable.

When creating a two-dimensional waveguide with a predetermined pattern on the surface of the shear glass substrate 13 using the above embodiment apparatus, the switch 22 is turned off, the switch 24 is turned on, and only between the electrode 14 and the molten salt 20 is formed. An electric field is applied by a power source 25 to form a pen-shaped inner tank 16.

The inner bottom surface of the glass substrate 13 is moved and scanned at a constant speed.

Trace as if drawing a prescribed pattern. As a result, Ap+ ions enter from the molten salt 20 at the portion of the shear glass substrate 13 scanned by the tip of the internal tank 16, glass ion exchange is performed, and a high refractive index portion, that is, an optical waveguide is formed. In this case, since the moving speed of the internal tank 16 is constant, the depth of the formed optical waveguide is constant.

If you want to embed an optical waveguide parallel to one surface in the glass substrate 13, leave the optical waveguide formed on the glass substrate 16 as described above, turn off the switch 24, turn on the switch 22, A power supply 2 is connected between the electrode 14 and the molten salt 15.
3. Apply electric field. This results in a high refractive index portion on the surface of the glass substrate 13.

Proceeds from the surface of the glass substrate 16 to the inside, and the glass substrate 1
An optical waveguide is formed within a certain depth from the surface of 3.

In addition, when creating an optical waveguide 26 having an inclination in the depth direction with respect to the glass substrate 1B as shown in FIG. .24 turned on.

It is sufficient to apply an electric field between the electrode 14 and the molten salt 15 and between the electrode 14 and the molten salt 20 using the power sources 23 and 25, respectively, and move the internal tank 16 toward the right at a constant speed.

In addition, the presence or absence of application of the power source 23, 25, the application time, the applied voltage, and the movement scanning speed of the internal tank 16.

For example, five-dimensional optical waveguides having various patterns can be arbitrarily created by controlling with a microcomputer or the like.

(to) Effect According to this invention, not only a two-dimensional optical waveguide.

Six-dimensional optical waveguides with various patterns can be freely and arbitrarily created.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass substrate used for manufacturing a conventional optical waveguide, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a conventional method for manufacturing an optical waveguide, and FIG. 6 is a diagram of an optical waveguide showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the tip of the inner tank of the same embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of an optical waveguide produced by the same embodiment. 11: External tank, 13 Ni glass substrate. 14: Electrode, 15: Molten salt not containing Ada 1, 16:
Internal tank, 20: molten salt containing l'+, 22/24: switch. 26/25: Power supply. Patent applicant Shimadzu Corporation Representative Patent attorney Shigeru Nakamura Figure 1 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) The other side of the substrate with electrodes formed on one side was immersed in a first molten salt not containing exchange ions, and the inside was filled with a second molten salt containing exchange ions. The tip of the pen-shaped tank is brought into contact with the other surface of the substrate. A second molten salt is locally brought into contact with the substrate, and voltages are applied individually between the electrode and the first molten salt and between the electrode and the second molten salt, and the substrate is heated. While scanning the other surface with the tip of the pen-shaped tank, the scanning speed is changed between the electrode and the first molten salt, the electrode and the second molten salt.
By controlling the applied voltage and application time between the molten salts. A method for manufacturing a leading waveguide, which performs ion exchange on a surface scanned by the pen-shaped tank to form a high refractive index portion in a predetermined pattern.