Refractive index change mechanisms in different glasses induced by femtosecond laser irradiation

A. Fuerbach, S. Gross, D. Little, A. Arriola, M. Ams, P. Dekker, M. Withford

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference proceeding contributionpeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)
528 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses can be used to alter the refractive index of virtually all optical glasses. As the laser-induced modification is spatially limited to the focal volume of the writing beam, this technique enables the fabrication of fully three-dimensional photonic structures and devices that are automatically embedded within the host material. While it is well understood that the laser-material interaction process is initiated by nonlinear, typically multiphoton absorption, the actual mechanism that results in an increase or sometimes decrease of the refractive index of the glass strongly depends on the composition of the material and the process parameters and is still subject to scientific studies. In this paper, we present an overview of our recent work aimed at uncovering the physical and chemical processes that contribute to the observed material modification. Raman microscopy and electron microprobe analysis was used to study the induced modifications that occur within the glass matrix and the influence of atomic species migration forced by the femtosecond laser writing beam. In particular, we concentrate on borosilicate, heavy metal fluoride and phosphate glasses. We believe that our results represent an important step towards the development of engineered glass types that are ideally suited for the fabrication of photonic devices via the femtosecond laser direct write technique.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationPacific Rim Laser Damage 2016: Optical Materials for High-Power Lasers
EditorsTakahisa Jitsuno, Jianda Shao, Wolfgang Rudolph
Place of PublicationBellingham, Washington
PublisherSPIE
Pages1-7
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9781510603585
ISBN (Print)9781510603578
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016
Event6th Pacific Rim Laser Damage 2016: Optical Materials for High-Power Lasers, PLD 2016 - Yokohama, Japan
Duration: 18 May 201620 May 2016

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE
PublisherSPIE
Volume9983
ISSN (Print)0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)1996-756X

Other

Other6th Pacific Rim Laser Damage 2016: Optical Materials for High-Power Lasers, PLD 2016
Country/TerritoryJapan
CityYokohama
Period18/05/1620/05/16

Keywords

  • femtosecond laser direct-write technique
  • Ultrafast phenomena
  • waveguide writing

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