Optical waveguide properties of virgin microscope slide glass

Virgin microscope-slide glass made of soda glass functions as optical waveguides (OWGs) without further treatment. This is because recent soda glass substrates for microscope slides are produced by the float method, and hence, the slides are doped with Sn ions on one side. The slide glass was examined in terms of effective refractive index, distribution of the Sn ion with secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), sensitivity for monitoring surface species, and annealing properties.