New passive polarization converter on glass substrate

We report on a new design and realization of highly efficient passive polarization converters made by K/sup +/-Na/sup +/ ion-exchange on glass substrate. The converter principle is based on periodic application of integrated asymmetric ion-exchanged stress segments. Polarization conversion up to 99% at low excess losses of less than 0.4 dB has been achieved. The converters combine the advantages of a highly efficient optical performance with a very simple realization.