Single-step writing of Bragg grating waveguides in fused silica with an externally modulated femtosecond fiber laser

Laser-written wave plates inside the silicon enabled by stress-induced birefringence

Laser writing enables optical functionality by altering the optical properties of materials. To achieve this goal, efforts generally focus on laser-written regions. It has also been shown that birefringence surrounding the modified regions can be exploited for achieving functionality. The effect has been used to fabricate wave plates in glass, with significant potential for other materials. Here, we establish analogous stress control and birefringence engineering inside silicon. We first develop a robust analytical model enabling the prediction of birefringence maps from arbitrary laser-written patterns. Then, we tailor three-dimensional laser lithography to create the first, to the best of our knowledge, polarization-control optics inside silicon.

Femtosecond laser direct-writing of high quality first-order Bragg gratings with arbitrary complex apodization by phase modulation

Femtosecond laser direct-writing is an attractive technique to fabricate fiber Bragg gratings and to achieve through-the-coating inscription. In this article, we report the direct inscription of high-quality first-order gratings in optical fiber, without the use of an index-matching medium. A new alignment technique based on the inscription of weak probe gratings is used to track the relative position between the focal spot and fiber core. A simple and flexible method to precisely control the position of each grating plane is also presented. With this method, periodic phase modulation of grating structures is achieved and used to inscribe arbitrary apodization and phase profiles. It is shown that a burst of multiple laser pulses used to inscribe each grating plane leads to a significant increase in the grating strength, while maintaining low insertion loss, critical for many applications.

Laser-written vapor cells for chip-scale atomic sensing and spectroscopy

We report the fabrication of alkali-metal vapor cells using femtosecond laser machining. This laser-written vapor-cell (LWVC) technology allows arbitrarily-shaped 3D interior volumes and has potential for integration with photonic structures and optical components. We use non-evaporable getters both to dispense rubidium and to absorb buffer gas. This enables us to produce cells with sub-atmospheric buffer gas pressures without vacuum apparatus. We demonstrate sub-Doppler saturated absorption spectroscopy and single beam optical magnetometry with a single LWVC. The LWVC technology may find application in miniaturized atomic quantum sensors and frequency references.

Ultrashort pulsed laser backside ablation of fused silica

We report on the fabrication of rectangular microchannels with vertical sidewalls in fused silica by laser backside ablation. A 515 nm femtosecond laser is focused by an objective with a NA of 0.5 through the sample on the glass/air interface, allowing processing from the backside into the bulk material. Experimental investigations reveal a logarithmically increasing depth of the channels with an increasing number of scans, while keeping the focal position fixed. A certain number of scans has to be applied to generate rectangular shaped channels while their depth can be controlled by the applied fluence from 2.64 µm to 13.46 µm and a corresponding ablation roughness R_a between 0.20 µm and 0.33 µm. The channel width can be set directly via the number of parallel ablated lines demonstrated in a range from 10 µm to 50 µm. By adjusting the focal position after each scan the channel depth can be extended to 49.77 µm while maintaining a rectangular channel geometry. Finally, concentric rings are ablated to demonstrate the flexibility of the direct writing process.

Femtosecond laser inscription of waveguides and Bragg gratings in transparent cyclic olefin copolymers

We report on a femtosecond laser based fabrication technique that enables simultaneous single-step generation of optical waveguides and Bragg gratings inside bulk cyclic olefin copolymers. Due to the nonlinear absorption of focused and spatially modulated laser radiation with a wavelength of 514 nm and a pulse duration of 450 fs, a modification concluding a refractive index shift increase inside the substrate can be achieved. A sophisticated characterization of the generated waveguides by means of an elaborate cut-back method reveals a maximum attenuation of 3.2 dB/cm. Additionally, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used to examine the waveguide's refractive index profile. The integrated Bragg grating structures exhibit reflectivities up to 95 % and a spectral full width at half maximum of 288 pm, at a Bragg wavelength of 1582 nm, whereas the grating period can be deliberately chosen by adapting the fabrication parameters. Thus, due to its increased flexibility and the resulting dispensability of cost-intensive phase masks, this method constitutes an especially promising fabrication process for polymer Bragg gratings inside of bulk materials.

Polymer/silica hybrid integration waveguide Bragg grating based on surface plasmon polaritons

We proposed a device composed of a Bragg grating and a long-range surface plasmon polariton waveguide. The waveguide is formed by embedding a thin Au stripe in negative UV photoresist (SU-8 2005). The corrugated grating structure is created on a silica substrate using contact lithography and inductively coupled plasma etching, which is transferred onto the SU-8 2005 film by a spin coating process, producing a periodic modulation of refractive index along the waveguide. We achieve a transmission peak with an extinction ratio of 17 dB and a 3-dB bandwidth of 0.9 nm at a wavelength of 1575.2 nm. We achieve a reflection peak with a side-mode suppression ratio of 9.7 dB, a 3-dB bandwidth of 0.9 nm at a wavelength of 1575.2 nm when the heating electrode isn't working. The shift of the reflection peak with heating power over the range 0-6 mW is approximately 2.9 nm. This thermal dependence exhibits an average slope of -0.48  nm/mW.

Femtosecond laser inscription of Bragg grating waveguides in bulk diamond

Femtosecond laser writing is applied to form Bragg grating waveguides in the diamond bulk. Type II waveguides are integrated with a single pulse point-by-point periodic laser modification positioned toward the edge of the waveguide core. These photonic devices, operating in the telecommunications band, allow for simultaneous optical waveguiding and narrowband reflection from a fourth-order grating. This fabrication technology opens the way toward advanced 3D photonic networks in diamond for a range of applications.

Second harmonic generation via femtosecond laser fabrication of poled, quasi-phase-matched waveguides in fused silica

Second harmonic generation (SHG) is demonstrated in femtosecond laser written waveguides in fused silica through a combination of thermal poling and laser-based quasi-phase-matching (QPM) techniques. Quasi-phase-matching was controlled by the periodic erasure of induced nonlinearity through femtosecond laser erasure. A maximum SHG conversion efficiency of 6.6±0.5×10^-5%/W is reported for the fundamental wavelength of 1552.8 nm with a phase-matching bandwidth of 4.4 nm for a 10.0 mm long waveguide. For a shorter sample, an effective second-order nonlinearity of χ⁽²⁾=0.012±0.001  pm/V was measured. Chirped QPM structures for wider SHG bandwidths also were demonstrated. Such periodically poled waveguides are promising for introducing nonlinear optical components within the 3D passive optical circuits that can be flexibly formed in fused silica by femtosecond laser writing.

Diamond photonics platform enabled by femtosecond laser writing

Diamond is a promising platform for sensing and quantum processing owing to the remarkable properties of the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) impurity. The electrons of the NV center, largely localized at the vacancy site, combine to form a spin triplet, which can be polarized with 532 nm laser light, even at room temperature. The NV's states are isolated from environmental perturbations making their spin coherence comparable to trapped ions. An important breakthrough would be in connecting, using waveguides, multiple diamond NVs together optically. However, still lacking is an efficient photonic fabrication method for diamond akin to the photolithographic methods that have revolutionized silicon photonics. Here, we report the first demonstration of three dimensional buried optical waveguides in diamond, inscribed by focused femtosecond high repetition rate laser pulses. Within the waveguides, high quality NV properties are observed, making them promising for integrated magnetometer or quantum information systems on a diamond chip.

Flexible photonic components in glass substrates

This paper demonstrates the fabrication and measurements of flexible photonic lightwave circuits in glass substrates. Using temporally and spatially shaped ultrafast laser pulses, highly symmetrical and low-loss optical waveguides were written in flexible glass substrates with thicknesses ranging from 25 µm to 100 µm. The waveguide propagation loss, measured by optical frequency domain reflectometry, was 0.11 dB/cm at 1550 nm telecommunication wavelength. The bend loss of the waveguide is negligible at a radius of curvature of 1.5 cm or greater. Additionally, the waveguides are thermally stable up to 400°C. This paper presents alternatives to fabricating flexible photonics in traditionally used polymeric materials.

Spectral narrowing of Yb:YAG waveguide lasers through hybrid integration with ultrafast laser written Bragg gratings

Laser written waveguides in crystalline materials can be used to make highly efficient, high gain lasers. The bi-directional emission from such lasers however is typically broadband with poor spectral control. Hybridizing a tapered, mode matched laser written Bragg grating with a broadband Yb:YAG crystalline waveguide laser, we demonstrate single longitudinal mode output from one end of the device. Careful control of the grating characteristics led to laser thresholds below 90 mW, slope efficiencies greater than 42% and output powers greater than 20 mW.

Femtosecond laser inscription of asymmetric directional couplers for in-fiber optical taps and fiber cladding photonics

Precise alignment of femtosecond laser tracks in standard single mode optical fiber is shown to enable controllable optical tapping of the fiber core waveguide light with fiber cladding photonic circuits. Asymmetric directional couplers are presented with tunable coupling ratios up to 62% and bandwidths up to 300 nm at telecommunication wavelengths. Real-time fiber monitoring during laser writing permitted a means of controlling the coupler length to compensate for micron-scale alignment errors and to facilitate tailored design of coupling ratio, spectral bandwidth and polarization properties. Laser induced waveguide birefringence was harnessed for polarization dependent coupling that led to the formation of in-fiber polarization-selective taps with 32 dB extinction ratio. This technology enables the interconnection of light propagating in pre-existing waveguides with laser-formed devices, thereby opening a new practical direction for the three-dimensional integration of optical devices in the cladding of optical fibers and planar lightwave circuits.

Femtosecond laser writing of Bragg grating waveguide bundles in bulk glass

Waveguide bundles in bulk glass materials, consisting of several parallel scans of refractive index modifications, have been generated with a low-repetition femtosecond laser. Additionally, Bragg grating (BG) structures for 840 and 1550 nm have been introduced by segmentation of the central scan. A spectral loss in the transmission signal of >36  dB was achieved at 1550 nm with a second-order Bragg grating waveguide (BGW) in fused silica, which corresponds to an intrinsic grating efficiency of >16  dB/cm. This is to our knowledge the strongest BG structure realized in glass with a femtosecond laser. The BGW were proven to be stable up to a temperature of 250°C in fused silica. The diameter of the waveguide bundles can be adapted very easily for a broad range of wavelengths and have been demonstrated for diameters between 1 and 50 μm. The transmission properties of the waveguide bundles are affected minorly by the insertion of BG structures, which opens the ability for adjusting the BGW for a broad range of wavelength in single-mode or multimode optical circuits. BGW have been realized successfully in fused silica, borosilicate glass (BOROFLOAT 33), and AF 32 eco Thin Glass from Schott.

Fiber optic stress-independent helical torsion sensor

Femtosecond laser-fabricated waveguides have been formed into helical paths throughout the cladding of single-mode optical fibers to demonstrate a strain-independent fiber torsion sensor. A comparison between a Bragg grating sensor and a Mach-Zehnder based on helical waveguides (HWs) showed a much weaker twist sensitivity of 1.5 pm/(rad/m) for the grating in contrast with a value of 261 pm/(rad/m) for the interferometer. The HW geometry provided an unambiguous determination of the rotational direction of the twist while facilitating a convenient and efficient means for optical coupling into the single-mode core of the fiber. The flexible three-dimensional writing by the femtosecond laser fabrication method enabled the direct inscription of compact and robust optical cladding devices without the need for combining or splicing multiple-fiber segments.

Femtosecond laser fabrication of monolithically integrated microfluidic sensors in glass

Femtosecond lasers have revolutionized the processing of materials, since their ultrashort pulse width and extremely high peak intensity allows high-quality micro- and nanofabrication of three-dimensional (3D) structures. This unique capability opens up a new route for fabrication of microfluidic sensors for biochemical applications. The present paper presents a comprehensive review of recent advancements in femtosecond laser processing of glass for a variety of microfluidic sensor applications. These include 3D integration of micro-/nanofluidic, optofluidic, electrofluidic, surface-enhanced Raman-scattering devices, in addition to fabrication of devices for microfluidic bioassays and lab-on-fiber sensors. This paper describes the unique characteristics of femtosecond laser processing and the basic concepts involved in femtosecond laser direct writing. Advanced spatiotemporal beam shaping methods are also discussed. Typical examples of microfluidic sensors fabricated using femtosecond lasers are then highlighted, and their applications in chemical and biological sensing are described. Finally, a summary of the technology is given and the outlook for further developments in this field is considered.

Chemical-assisted femtosecond laser writing of lab-in-fibers

The lab-on-chip (LOC) platform has presented a powerful opportunity to improve functionalization, parallelization, and miniaturization on planar or multilevel geometries that has not been possible with fiber optic technology. A migration of such LOC devices into the optical fiber platform would therefore open the revolutionary prospect of creating novel lab-in-fiber (LIF) systems on the basis of an efficient optical transport highway for multifunctional sensing. For the LIF, the core optical waveguide inherently offers a facile means to interconnect numerous types of sensing elements along the optical fiber, presenting a radical opportunity for optimizing the packaging and densification of diverse components in convenient geometries beyond that available with conventional LOCs. In this paper, three-dimensional patterning inside the optical fiber by femtosecond laser writing, together with selective chemical etching, is presented as a powerful tool to form refractive index structures such as optical waveguides and gratings as well as to open buried microfluidic channels and optical resonators inside the flexible and robust glass fiber. In this approach, optically smooth surfaces (~12 nm rms) are introduced for the first time inside the fiber cladding that precisely conform to planar nanograting structures when formed by aberration-free focusing with an oil-immersion lens across the cylindrical fiber wall. This process has enabled optofluidic components to be precisely embedded within the fiber to be probed by either the single-mode fiber core waveguide or the laser-formed optical circuits. We establish cladding waveguides, X-couplers, fiber Bragg gratings, microholes, mirrors, optofluidic resonators, and microfluidic reservoirs that define the building blocks for facile interconnection of inline core-waveguide devices with cladding optofluidics. With these components, more advanced, integrated, and multiplexed fiber microsystems are presented demonstrating fluorescence detection, Fabry-Perot interferometric refractometry, and simultaneous sensing of refractive index, temperature, and bending strain. The flexible writing technique and multiplexed sensors described here open powerful prospects to migrate the benefits of LOCs into a more flexible and miniature LIF platform for highly functional and distributed sensing capabilities. The waveguide backbone of the LIF inherently provides an efficient exchange of information, combining sensing data that are attractive in telecom networks, smart catheters for medical procedures, compact sensors for security and defense, shape sensors, and low-cost health care products.

Exploring the depth range for three-dimensional laser machining with aberration correction

The spherical aberration generated when focusing from air into another medium limits the depth at which ultrafast laser machining can be accurately maintained. We investigate how the depth range may be extended using aberration correction via a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (SLM), in both single point and parallel multi-point fabrication in fused silica. At a moderate numerical aperture (NA = 0.5), high fidelity fabrication with a significant level of parallelisation is demonstrated at the working distance of the objective lens, corresponding to a depth in the glass of 2.4 mm. With a higher numerical aperture (NA = 0.75) objective lens, single point fabrication is demonstrated to a depth of 1 mm utilising the full NA, and deeper with reduced NA, while maintaining high repeatability. We present a complementary theoretical model that enables prediction of the effectiveness of SLM based correction for different aberration magnitudes.

Ultrafast laser fabrication of Bragg waveguides in chalcogenide glass

Bragg waveguides are fundamental components in photonic integrated circuits and are particularly interesting for mid-IR applications in high index, highly nonlinear materials. In this work, we present Bragg waveguides fabricated in bulk chalcogenide glass using an ultrafast laser. Waveguides with near circularly symmetric cross sections and low propagation loss are obtained through spatial and temporal beam shaping. Using a single-pass technique, the waveguide and Bragg structure are formed at the same time. First through sixth order gratings with strengths of up to 25 dB are realized, and performance is evaluated based on the modulation duty cycle of the writing beam.

Temperature-compensated fiber-optic 3D shape sensor based on femtosecond laser direct-written Bragg grating waveguides

Temperature-compensated 3D fiber shape sensing is demonstrated with femtosecond laser direct-written optical and Bragg grating waveguides that were distributed axially and radially inside a single coreless optical fiber. Efficient light coupling between the laser-written optical circuit elements and a standard single-mode fiber (SMF) was obtained for the first time by 3D laser writing of a 1 × 3 directional coupler to meet with the core waveguide in the fusion-spliced SMF. Simultaneous interrogation of nine Bragg gratings, distributed along three laterally offset waveguides, is presented through a single waveguide port at 1 kHz sampling rate to follow the Bragg wavelength shifts in real-time and thereby infer shape and temperature profile unambiguously along the fiber length. This distributed 3D strain and thermal sensor is freestanding, flexible, compact, lightweight and opens new directions for creating fiber cladding photonic devices for a wide range of applications from shape and thermal sensing to guidance of biomedical catheters and tools in minimally invasive surgery.

Femtosecond laser-induced apodized Bragg grating waveguides

We report on the inscription of apodized Bragg grating waveguides (BGWs) in fused silica using a modulated high repetition rate fs laser system. Tailoring of the grating's coupling strength is facilitated by appropriately substructuring the modulation of the inscribing laser radiation. The proposed alteration delivers an unchanged constant mean refractive index entailing homogeneous guiding properties along the entire waveguide. The BGWs fabricated using a Gaussian apodized modulation profile exhibit a 10 dB improvement in sideband suppression compared to waveguide gratings written with a uniform modulation profile.

Femtosecond laser writing of optical edge filters in fused silica optical waveguides

The positional alignment of femtosecond laser written Bragg grating waveguides within standard and coreless optical fiber has been exploited to vary symmetry and open strong optical coupling to a high density of asymmetric cladding modes. This coupling was further intensified with tight focusing of the laser pulses through an oil-immersion lens to control mode size against an asymmetric refractive index profile. By extending this Bragg grating waveguide writing into bulk fused silica glass, strong coupling to a continuum of radiation-like modes facilitated a significant broadening to over hundreds of nanometers bandwidth that blended into the narrow Bragg resonance to form into a strongly isolating (43 dB) optical edge filter. This Bragg resonance defined exceptionally steep edge slopes of 136 dB/nm and 185 dB/nm for unpolarized and linearly polarized light, respectively, that were tunable through the 1450 nm to 1550 nm telecommunication band.

Stress induced birefringence tuning in femtosecond laser fabricated waveguides in fused silica

Femtosecond laser exposure produces form and stress birefringence in glasses, mainly controlled by laser polarization and pulse energy, which leads to challenges in certain applications where polarization mode dispersion or birefringence splitting is critical for the desired responses from optical devices. In this paper, parallel laser modification tracks with different geometries were applied to preferentially stress the laser-written waveguides and explore the possibility of tuning the waveguide birefringence in devices fabricated in bulk fused silica glass. Polarization splitting in Bragg grating waveguides showed the laser modification tracks to controllably add or subtract stress to the pre-existing waveguide birefringence, demonstrating independence from the nanograting induced form birefringence and the contributions from material stress. Stressing bars are shown that offer tunable birefringence in the range from ~0 up to 4.35 × 10(-4), possibly enabling great flexibility in designing polarization dependent devices, as well as making polarization independent devices.

Femtosecond laser fabrication of phase-shifted Bragg grating waveguides in fused silica

Phase-shifted Bragg grating waveguides (PSBGWs) were formed in bulk fused silica glass by femtosecond laser direct writing to produce narrowband (22±3)  pm filters at 1550 nm. Tunable π and other phase shifts generated narrow passbands in controlled positions of the Bragg stopband, while the accurate placement of multiple cascaded phase-shift regions yielded a rectangular-shaped bandpass filter. A waveguide birefringence of (7.5±0.3)×10(-5) is inferred from the polarization-induced spectral shifting of the PSBGW narrowband filters.

Adaptive slit beam shaping for direct laser written waveguides

We demonstrate an improved method for fabricating optical waveguides in bulk materials by means of femtosecond laser writing. We use an LC spatial light modulator (SLM) to shape the beam focus by generating adaptive slit illumination in the pupil of the objective lens. A diffraction grating is applied in a strip across the SLM to simulate a slit, with the first diffracted order mapped onto the pupil plane of the objective lens while the zeroth order is blocked. This technique enables real-time control of the beam-shaping parameters during writing, facilitating the fabrication of more complicated structures than is possible using nonadaptive methods. Waveguides are demonstrated in fused silica with a coupling loss to single-mode fibers in the range of 0.2 to 0.5 dB and propagation loss <0.4 dB/cm.

Ultrafast laser inscription of Bragg-grating waveguides using the multiscan technique

We report the fabrication of high-strength (>30 dB) first order Bragg-grating waveguides in borosilicate glass substrates using ultrafast laser inscription. The cross section of each waveguide was controlled using the well known multiscan fabrication technique, where the desired waveguide cross section is constructed by scanning the sample through the laser focus multiple times. In order to fabricate high-strength gratings, it was therefore necessary to precisely control and spatially synchronize the refractive index modulations imprinted in the material by each scan. The Bragg-grating waveguides were inscribed using a femtosecond fiber laser that was externally modulated using an acousto-optic modulator. The required precision in the laser modulation was thus achieved by triggering the acousto-optic modulator using a position sensitive trigger signal supplied by the substrate translation stages themselves.

Femtosecond laser direct-writing of waveguide Bragg gratings in a quasi cumulative heating regime

Waveguide Bragg gratings (WBGs) were directly inscribed into Alkaline Earth Boro-Aluminosilicate glass samples in a single process step at high fabrication speeds. We utilized a 5.1 MHz femtosecond oscillator to exploit high repetition rate heat accumulation effects. The pulse energy was modulated using a Pockels cell in order to fabricate waveguides that contain a periodic array of nano-structures inside their core. We have demonstrated, for the first time, that the transient build-up of heat accumulation within the sample can lead to the formation of a permanent nano-void. This effect can be exploited to fabricate WBGs at high speeds.

Femtosecond laser fabrication of birefringent directional couplers as polarization beam splitters in fused silica

Integrated polarization beam splitters based on birefringent directional couplers are demonstrated. The devices are fabricated in bulk fused silica glass by femtosecond laser writing (300 fs, 150 nJ at 500 kHz, 522 nm). The birefringence was measured from the spectral splitting of the Bragg grating resonances associated with the vertically and horizontally polarized modes. Polarization splitting directional couplers were designed and demonstrated with 0.5 dB/cm propagation losses and -19 dB and -24 dB extinction ratios for the polarization splitting.

Control of light transmission in laser-written phase-shifted Bragg grating couplers

We demonstrate the fabrication by direct laser writing and the operation of a directional coupler containing Bragg gratings in each waveguide. We achieve high-precision control over the longitudinal shift between the gratings, which feature first-order Bragg resonance at telecommunication wavelengths. We observe fundamental differences between light transmission characteristics in couplers with unshifted and shifted gratings in agreement with theoretical predictions.

Annealing dynamics of waveguide Bragg gratings: evidence of femtosecond laser induced colour centres

There is still significant speculation regarding the nature of femtosecond laser induced index change in bulk glasses with colour centre formation and densification the main candidates. In the work presented here, we fabricated waveguide Bragg gratings in doped and undoped phosphate glasses and use these as a diagnostic for monitoring subtle changes in the induced refractive index during photo- and thermal annealing experiments. Reductions in grating strengths during such experiments were attributed to the annihilation of colour centres.

Femtosecond laser written optofluidic sensor: Bragg Grating Waveguide evanescent probing of microfluidic channel

Microfluidic channels and Bragg Grating Waveguides (BGWs) were simultaneously fabricated inside fused silica glass by means of femtosecond laser exposure followed by chemical etching. Evanescent field penetration of the waveguide mode into the parallel microfluidic channel induced Bragg resonant wavelength shifts to enable refractive index characterization of the fluidic medium in the 1 to 1.452 range. Laser exposure was optimized to fabricate devices with optically smooth channel walls and narrow Bragg resonances for high sensing response at 1560 nm wavelength. Reference gratings were also employed in the optical circuit for temperature and strain compensation. These devices open new directions for optical sensing in three-dimensional optofluidic and reactor microsystems.

Formation and partial recovery of optically induced local dislocations inside CaF2 single crystal

We reported on the formation of a microstructure (skew cross-shaped pattern) in bulk CaF(2) single crystal, which originates from local dislocations and microcracks around the focal point of a single infrared femtosecond laser beam. Relations between morphology of the microstructure and the laser power as well as the number of laser pulses were discussed. Furthermore, it was observed that the optically induced microstructure could be partially erased by additional irradiation of its neighboring area with femtosecond laser pulses. High-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) observations confirmed the disappearance of some local dislocations after the additional femtosecond laser irradiation.

Monolithic 100 mW Yb waveguide laser fabricated using the femtosecond-laser direct-write technique

A femtosecond-laser-written monolithic waveguide laser (WGL) oscillator based on a distributed-feedback architecture and fabricated in ytterbium-doped phosphate glass is reported. The device lased at 1033 nm with an output power of 102 mW and a bandwidth of less than 2 pm when bidirectionally pumped at 976 nm. The WGL device was stable and operated for 50 h without degradation. This demonstration of a high-performance WGL opens the possibility for creating a variety of narrow-linewidth laser designs in bulk glasses.

Three-dimensional optical sensing network written in fused silica glass with femtosecond laser

A single-step fast-writing method of burst ultrafast laser modification was applied to form a mesh network of multi-wavelength Bragg grating waveguides in bulk fused silica glass. Strain-optic and thermo-optic responses of the laser-written internal sensors are reported for the first time. A dual planar layout provided independent temperature- and strain-compensated characterization of temperature and strain distribution with coarse spatial resolution. The grating responses were thermally stable to 500 masculineC. To our best knowledge, the grating network represents the first demonstration of 3D distributed optical sensing network in a bulk transparent medium. Such 3D grating networks open new directions for strain and temperature sensing in optical circuits, optofluidic, MEMS or lab-on-a-chip microsystems, actuators, and windows and other large display or civil structures.

Shaping ultrafast laser inscribed optical waveguides using a deformable mirror

We use a two-dimensional deformable mirror to shape the spatial profile of an ultrafast laser beam that is then used to inscribe structures in a soda-lime silica glass slide. By doing so we demonstrate that it is possible to control the asymmetry of the cross section of ultrafast laser inscribed optical waveguides via the curvature of the deformable mirror. When tested using 1.55 mum light, the optimum waveguide exhibited coupling losses of approximately 0.2 dB/facet to Corning SMF-28 single mode fiber and propagation losses of approximately 1.5 dB.cm(-1). This technique promises the possibility of combining rapid processing speeds with the ability to vary the waveguide cross section along its length.

Broadband directional couplers fabricated in bulk glass with high repetition rate femtosecond laser pulses

A femtosecond fiber laser was applied to fabricate broadband directional couplers inside bulk glass for general power splitting application in the 1250 to 1650-nm wavelength telecom spectrum. The broadband response was optimized over the 400-nm bandwidth by tailoring the coupling strength and the waveguide interaction length to balance the differing wavelength dependence of the straight interaction and bent transition regions. High spatial finesse of the femtosecond-laser writing technique enabled close placement (approxiamtely 6 microm) of adjacent waveguides that underpinned the wavelength-flattened broadband response at any coupling ratio in the 0% to 100% range. The spectral responses were well-represented by coupled mode theory, permitting simple design and implementation of broadband couplers for bulk 3D optical circuit integration.

Directly written monolithic waveguide laser incorporating a distributed feedback waveguide-Bragg grating

We report the fabrication and performance of the first C-band directly written monolithic waveguide laser (WGL). The WGL device was created in an erbium- and ytterbium-doped phosphate glass host and consisted of an optical waveguide that included a distributed feedback Bragg grating structure. The femtosecond laser direct-write technique was used to create both the waveguide and the waveguide-Bragg grating simultaneously and in a single processing step. The waveguide laser was optically pumped at approximately 980 nm and lased at 1,537 nm with a bandwidth of less than 4 pm.