title: Thermal optimization and erasing of Nd:YAG proton beam written waveguides.
abstract: We report on how the optical and structural properties of Nd:YAG proton beam written waveguides are modified when they experienced annealing treatments from 50 °C to 950 °C. The microstructural changes caused in the vicinity of the nuclear damage region were found to be stable up to 700 °C, so that higher annealing temperatures lead to a complete waveguide erasing. Before this "erasing" temperature, the partial thermal-induced defect recombination reduces the propagation losses, reaching its minimum value (below 1 dB/cm) after a 400 °C thermal annealing.
authors.affiliation: Fluorescence Imaging Group, GIEL, Departamento de Física de Materiales, Facultad de Ciencias, International Campus of Excellence Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain. antonio.benayas@uam.es
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benayas
authors.forename: Ningning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Yicun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Andrew Anthony
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Bettiol
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jaque