MODELING OF THERMAL ANNEALING OF ION-EXCHANGED SURFACE WAVE-GUIDES BYAN AVERAGING APPROACH

A method to obtain analytical models which allow one to characterize a nd fundamentally predict the index profiles of annealed ion-exchanged waveguides is presented. It is based on an average of the nonlinear io n-exchange effects in the nonlinear diffusion equation. The method can be applied to different initial conditions. As an example, a comparis on with the numerical solution is shown for a Gaussian function as the initial condition, which covers many of the practical cases of intere st.