Producing the Gradient Changes in Glass Refraction by the Ion Exchange Method — Selected Aspects

This chapter presents the chosen aspects of the ion exchange technological method. Results of research refer to the refractive index profiles of planar waveguides produced by the ion exchange method in various glasses. All refractive index profiles were determined by measuring the effective refractive indices of the waveguide modes. In the first part of this chapter the processes of electrodiffusion doping sodalime glass with silver ions has been described. The second part contains a description of the two measurement methods allowing to estimate the equilibrium concentration basing on the example of the concentration of sodium in soda-lime glass. The third part describes the phenomenon of stress birefringence arising in borosilicate BK-7 glass doped with potassium ions K+. The fourth section presents the results of research on the real-time control of ion exchange diffusion processes. The results confirming the validity of this idea with examples of soda-lime glass (Menzel-Gläser company), BK-7 (Schott company) and Pyrex (Borosilicate 33 of Corning company) doped with Ag+ silver ions and K+ potassium ions are also presented here.