Germanosilicate thin films have been elaborated by the sol-gel process and
the dip-coating technique. Pulsed or continuous wave UV laser (244 nm) was
used to write permanent gratings in these films. In the case of exposure to
cw laser, the grating diffraction efficiencies were measured using a focus
ed beam from a He-Ne laser at 633 nm and photoinduced changes in refractive
index as high as 4 x 10(-3) have been obtained. The thermal behaviour of t
hese gratings has been investigated showing a good stability up to 400 degr
ees C. Exposure to pulsed fringe pattern led to a glass photo-expansion mod
ulated by a strong corrugation which can be due mainly to photo-ablation at
the places of the bright fringes. The waveguide surface at the grating pla
ces was investigated through Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and microscopic
profilometry techniques. Preliminary results on the kinetics of the grating
growths are also reported. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.. All rights rese
rved.