Feasibility of potassium-exchanged waveguides in BK7 glass for telecommunication devices.

Based on recent results for potassium-exchanged optical waveguides in BK7 glass [Appl. Opt. 34, 455-458 (1995)], the feasibility of fiber-compatible waveguide fabrication for telecommunication wavelengths is studied. Modeling of waveguides gives the result that such waveguides with good properties cannot be achieved with this fabrication technique because of the observed saturation of diffusion depth.