Modelling the annealing of electric-field-assisted K+-Na+ ion exchanged planar waveguides manufactured in soda-lime glass

An analytical model is developed and used to analyse the evolution in the refractive index profiles resulting from the annealing of electric-field-assisted K+-Na+ ion exchanged planar optical guides formed in soda-lime glass. The model takes into consideration diffusion effects and a relaxation effect that is observed to occur within the region of the glass into which the K+ ions are injected. Analyses of experimental results using the model show that the time constant for the relaxation mechanism depends on the annealing temperature and on the rate at which the K+ ions are injected into the glass, However, the degree of relaxation is relatively independent of these variables.