Optical Waveguides Produced in LiF by MeV Ion Beam Bombardment

In this letter, the development of a simple method, based on high-energy light-ion beam irradiation, to create active waveguides in alkali halide materials is reported. A 1.1 MeV He+ beam at normal incidence was used to irradiate lithium fluoride crystals, with different ion doses varying from 1×1012 up to 6×1015 cm–2, producing thin colored strips. All strips showed several guided modes, confirming the effectiveness of this technique to create the conditions to allow guided propagation. Values of 1.5 dB/cm were found for the propagation losses.