Fabrication and annealing optimization of oxygen-implanted Yb3+-doped phosphate glass planar waveguides

•Waveguides in Yb3+-doped phosphate glasses are formed by oxygen ion implantation.•Thermal treatment improves waveguide quality.•Waveguides demonstrate acceptable guiding properties.

Optical planar waveguides in Yb3+-doped phosphate glasses are fabricated by (5.0+6.0) MeV O3+ ion implantation at fluences of (4.0+8.0)×1014 ions/cm2. The annealing treatment is carried out to optimize waveguide performances. The prism-coupling and end-face coupling methods are used to measure the dark-mode spectra and near-field intensity distributions before and after annealing at 350 °C for 60 min, respectively. The refractive index profile of the planar waveguide is obtained based on the reflectivity calculation method. The micro-Raman spectrum of the waveguide is in agreement with that of the bulk, exhibiting possible applications for integrated active photonic devices.