Fabrication of low loss channel waveguide in tungsten-tellurite glass by 11 MeV carbon ion microbeam for telecom C band

Channel waveguides were directly written in Er: TeOWO glass using 11 MeV C ion microbeam with fluences in the range of 1·10-5·10 ion/cm. The channel waveguides supported a single guided mode at ? = 1540 nm. Propagation losses of the as-irradiated channel waveguides were around 14 dB/cm. A 30-min thermal annealing at 150 °C in air reduced propagation losses at ? = 1400 nm to 1.5 dB/cm. This method produced channel waveguides with confinement and propagation losses comparable to or better than other current methods, such as MeV energy focused proton or helium ion beam writing.