Internal cladding in sapphire optical device and method of making same

Abstract

Provided is a cladded single crystal sapphire optical device (e.g., a s sapphire optical fiber or wafer). In one embodiment, the innovation provides a method for forming a cladding in a single crystal sapphire optical device by reactor irradiation. The reactor irradiation creates ions external to the optical device that enter the optical device, displace atoms in the optical device, and are implanted in the optical device, thus modifying the index of refraction of the optical device near the surface of the optical device and creating a cladding in the sapphire optical device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sapphire optical device having a graded internal refractive cladding within the sapphire optical device. 
     
     
         2 . The sapphire optical device of  claim 1 , wherein the sapphire optical device is a sapphire optical fiber. 
     
     
         3 . The sapphire optical device of  claim 1  inscribed with at least one type-II Bragg grating. 
     
     
         4 . The sapphire optical device of  claim 1 , wherein the sapphire optical device is a sapphire optical wafer. 
     
     
         5 . The sapphire optical device of  claim 4 , wherein the sapphire optical wafer includes an ion implanted waveguide. 
     
     
         6 . A waveguide comprising the sapphire optical device of  claim 1 . The waveguide of  claim 6 , wherein the waveguide is implemented onto a silicon chip. 
     
     
         8 . The waveguide of claim  7 , wherein the silicon chip is incorporated into a photonic device. 
     
     
         9 . The waveguide of  claim 9 , wherein the photonic device is a silicon chip-based spectroscopy device.