Results on the development and characterization of new oxide and non-oxide glasses for integrated optics are reported. We have developed many special oxide glass compositions with low (1.49) and high (1.78) refractive indices including phosphate, silicate, and germanate glasses. Optical and physical-chemical properties of these glasses have been studied. The influence of two-, three-, and four-valence metal oxides on performance of ion-exchanged planar waveguides was investigated. Lastly, recent preliminary results on the optimization of non-oxide glasses for nonlinear applications are presented. Processing issues related to the production of low loss waveguides are described.
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