This volume contains the proceedings of a two-week NATO A.S.I. on
Integrated Optics: Physics and Applications, held from August 17 to
August 30, 1981 in Erice, Italy. This is the 8th annual Course of the
"International School of Quantum Electronics" presented under the
auspices of the "E. Majorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. The subject
was chosen in order to satisfy the demand for a course on integrated
optics which is relevant to the expanding use of fiber optics for
communication and signal processing. Integrated Optics, encompassing all
of the optical waveguide circuits which are the optical analog of
integrated circuits, is finding its way into a variety of applications
involving communi- cations, high speed signal-processing, and sensors of
many kinds. However, because the technology is still changing very
rapidly, the development of these exciting applications relies heavily
upon the physics of the integrated optical circuits themselves and the
pro- cessing techniques used to fabricate them. This NATO A.S.I.
provided not only a thorough tutorial treatment of the field, but also
through panel discussions and additional lectures treated topics at the
forefront of present work. Therefore the character of the Course was a
blend of current research and tutorial reviews. "The Physics and
Applications of Integrated Optics" could hardly be a more appropriate
title to be chosen for this volume. Many of the worlds' acknowledged
leaders in the field have been brought together to review and speculate
on the accomplishments of integrated optics.