Ultrafast laser fabrication of low-loss waveguides in chalcogenide glass with 0.65 dB/cm loss

This Letter reports on the fabrication of low-loss waveguides in gallium-lanthanum-sulfide chalcogenide glasses using an ultrafast laser. Spatial beam shaping and temporal pulse width tuning were used to optimize the guided mode profiles and optical loss of laser-written waveguides. Highly symmetric single-mode waveguides guiding at 1560 nm with a loss of 0.65 dB/cm were fabricated using 1.5 ps laser pulses. This Letter suggests a pathway to produce high quality optical waveguides in substrates with strong nonlinearity using the ultrafast laser direct writing technique.     

Characteristics of Multi-Beam Module Using Waveguides for Laser Scanning Optical Systems

A multi-beam module using optical waveguides has been studied for a laser scanning optical system. Laser diodes with a wavelength of 780 nm are assembled on a silicon substrate. The beams emitted from the laser diodes are directly coupled into waveguides. This multi-beam module is assembled on a metal substrate with a photodiode. The photodiode controls the power of each laser diode on the silicon substrate. The multi-beam module is able to increase the output speed of high-density image printings, and the speed for high-speed color printings. We have developed the four-beam module with beam divergence angles of 11 degrees and spatial beam interval of 24 μm. Additional heat sink and optimizing tip-bonding between the laser diode and solder pad on the silicon substrate is useful to stabilize laser power against rising temperature.     

SBN:Cr晶体中孤子诱导的实时平面光波导及其导光特性分析

通过数值模拟和实验对SBN:Cr晶体中的（1+1）维亮屏蔽空间孤子及其诱导的实时平面光波导的导光特性进行了研究.采用分步束传播法和Petviashvili迭代法对（1+1）维亮屏蔽空间孤子的特性进行了模拟.通过求解本征方程,对孤子诱导平面波导中存在的导波模式进行了数值求解.采用633 nm的He-Ne激光作为孤子诱导光束,532 nm的半导体泵浦的固体激光作为探测光,在固液同成分的SBN:Cr晶体中进行了实验研究.实验结果和数值模拟的结果符合的很好.而且结果表明SBN:Cr晶体中红光诱导的波导可以作为实时光波导.     

Proton beam writing of Nd:GGG crystals as new waveguide laser sources

Focused proton beam writing has been utilized to fabricate optical channel waveguides in Nd:GGG crystals. The 1?MeV proton beam irradiation creates a local modified region with positive refractive index changes at the end of the proton trajectory, in which the channel waveguide could confine the light field in a symmetric way. Room-temperature laser emission has been achieved at 1063.7?nm, with absorbed pump power of 61?mW (at 808?nm). The obtained slope efficiency of the Nd:GGG waveguide laser system is as high as 66%, which is, to our best knowledge, the highest value for integrated lasers from ion beam processed channel waveguide systems.     

Fabrication of an integrated optical Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on refractive index modification of polymethylmethacrylate by krypton fluoride excimer laser radiation

It is known that deep ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces a refractive index increase in the surface layer of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) samples. This effect can be used for the fabrication of integrated optical waveguides. PMMA is of considerable interest for bio and chemical sensing applications because it is biocompatible and can be micromachined by several methods, e.g. structuring by photolithography, ablation and hot embossing. In the presented work direct UV irradiation of a common PMMA substrate by a krypton fluoride excimer laser beam through a contact mask has been used to write integrated optical Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZI). MZI are used as sensitive bio and chemical sensors. The aim was to determine contact mask design and laser irradiation parameters for fabricating single-mode MZI for the infrared region from 1.30 μm to 1.62 μm. Straight and curved waveguides have been generated and characterized to determine the optical losses. The generation of channel waveguide structures has been optimized by a two step irradiation process to minimize the lithographic writing time and optical loss. By flood exposure to UV laser radiation in the first step the optical absorption of PMMA can be increased in the irradiated region. The required refractive index profile is then achieved with a second lithographic irradiation. The spectral behaviour of an unbalanced, integrated optical MZI fabricated by this excimer laser based contact mask method is shown for the first time. Further the optical intensity at the output port of a MZI has been measured while the optical path length difference was tuned by creating a temperature difference between the two arms of the MZI.     

会聚激光扫描铌酸锂晶体写入光波导时的最佳曝光间距

对利用激光精细加工技术在铌酸锂(LiNbO₃)晶体中写入光波导时的最佳曝光间距进行了详细地理论分析和实验研究.通过数值求解简化后的光折变动力学方程组，对会聚激光束沿不同方向扫描晶体时的最佳曝光间距进行了详细的数值模拟.结果表明：最佳曝光间距的选取与写入光束的扫描方向无关；当聚焦激光束平行于光轴扫描晶体时，得不到波导结构，但可以采用“三明治”辐照方式得到对称的折射率分布.采用会聚的绿激光束扫描掺铁铌酸锂(LiNbO₃：Fe)晶体进行了实验研究，晶体中的光致折射率变 关键词： 激光精细加工 最佳曝光间距 光波导 3晶体')" href="#">LiNbO₃晶体     

新型光波导阵列电光快速扫描器的光波导效应

对新型光波导阵列电光快速扫描器中的光波导效应进行了研究,分析了考虑光波导模式效应的光波导阵列电光快速扫描器的扫描特性,指出光波导模式特性主要影响新型光波导电光快速扫描器的扫描范围和效率,并研究了在应用该器件进行光束扫描时的技术要求.     

Three-dimensional integration of microoptical components buried inside photosensitive glass by femtosecond laser direct writing

We report the three-dimensional (3D) integration of microoptical components such as microlenses, micromirrors and optical waveguides in a single glass chip by femtosecond (fs) laser direct writing. First, two types of microoptical lenses were fabricated inside photosensitive Foturan glass by forming hollow microstructures using fs laser direct writing followed by thermal treatment, successive wet etching and additional annealing. One type of lens is the cylindrical microlens with a curvature radius R of 1.0 mm, and the other is the plano-convex microlens with radius R of 0.75 mm. Subsequently, by the continuous procedure of hollow microstructure fabrication, a micromirror was integrated with the plano-convex microlens in the single glass chip. Further integration of waveguides was performed by internal refractive index modification using fs laser direct writing after the hollow structure fabrication of the microlens and the micromirror. A demonstration of the laser beam transmission in the integrated optical microdevice shows that the 3D integration of waveguides with a micromirror and a microoptical lens in a single glass chip is highly effective for light beam guiding and focusing. PACS 42.62.-b; 81.05.Kf; 42.82.Cr; 82.50.Pt; 42.79.Gn     

分数自成像平面波导的光束组束

研究了激光束在分数自成像平面波导中的传输特性,提出了利用分数自成像平面波导进行光束组束的技术方案,讨论了激光束之间相位失配对光束组束的影响,并对两个输出平均功率为300W的板条激光器的光束组束进行了数值实验模拟.结果表明,分数自成像平面波导的光束组束可以有效地改善多个激光器组束后的光束质量因子M²,从而提高激光输出的亮度;而且这种组束方法对激光束之间相位失配的敏感度明显降低. 关键词： 分数自成像 平面波导 组束 光束质量     

Laser backwriting process on glass via ablation of metal targets

Ablation of metal targets onto pyrex glass substrates, using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser working at 355 nm, was used to study the potential of a laser backwriting process for the fabrication of optical waveguides via an index of refraction change. Metal foils of stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass and gold have been used as blanks and irradiated by focusing the laser beam through a cylindrical lens under continuous movement in a direction perpendicular to the irradiation. An horizontal setup was found suitable to improve the effect of the plume in the sample. Results were obtained for two different configurations. Transversal profiles were analysed using a contact profilometer, comparing results obtained for the different configurations, traverse speeds and metal targets used. Two ablation regimes were identified, which are related to a critical laser fluence value of 2.7 J/cm². Surface micrographs obtained by scanning electron microscopy are discussed, together with the characteristics of the structures attained, taking into account the optical and thermal properties of the ablated metal blanks.     

An azobenzene functionalized polymer for laser direct writing waveguide fabrication

We report on non-lithographic laser direct writing fabrication of optical waveguides by using a 4′-hydroxy-4-nitroazobene dye-functionalized polymer film. The polymer film reveals permanent change of refractive index at high laser illumination intensity. A focused continuous wave low power green laser beam at 532 nm wavelength is used to directly write waveguide structures on the polymer film. The magnitude of refractive index increase at film surface is about 0.006. One-step laser writing results in graded index waveguides in film depth direction under ambient conditions without pre- and post-processing. As a by-product, the laser writing also results in a very small air valley at the boundary between the laser written and non-written regions which may contribute in part although minimal to the waveguide lateral confinement and can be used for visual observation of waveguide patterns. The fabricated waveguide is found to be stable and easily reproducible.     

Depressed cladding, buried waveguide laser formed in a YAG:Nd3+ crystal by femtosecond laser writing

Depressed cladding waveguides have been formed in laser crystals by a tightly focused beam of a femtosecond laser. A laser based on a depressed cladding waveguide in a neodymium-doped YAG crystal has been demonstrated for what is believed to be the first time.     

157 nm F2-laser writing of silica optical waveguides in silicone rubber

Silica (SiO2) optical waveguides have been fabricated on the surface of silicone [(SiO(CH3)2)n] rubber by photochemical modification of silicone rubber into silica with 157 nm F2-laser radiation. The 2 mm thick silicone was exposed through a thin (approximately 0.2 mm) air layer to generate oxygen radicals that chemically assisted in the silica transformation. Silica waveguides were defined in 8-16 microm wide exposure strips by a proximity Cr-on-CaF2 photomask. Optimum laser processing conditions are presented for generating crack-free waveguides with good optical transparency at red (635 nm) and infrared (1550 nm) wavelengths. A propagation loss of approximately 6 dB/cm is reported at the 1550 nm wavelength.     

Ultrafast laser written active devices

Direct‐write optical waveguide device fabrication is probably the most widely studied application of femtosecond laser micromachining in transparent dielectrics at the present time. Devices such as buried waveguides, power splitters, couplers, gratings, optical amplifiers and laser oscillators have all been demonstrated. This paper reviews the application of the femtosecond laser direct‐write technique to the fabrication of active waveguide devices in bulk glass materials.     

Low cost fabrication of SiO2 optical waveguides by laser direct writing on Ti-doped Sol-Gel films

A commercial direct laser writing (DLW) system operating at 1070 nm was used to fabricate SiO₂ optical waveguides on silicon wafers. A Ti-doped SiO₂ Sol-Gel film was deposited on the SiO₂/Si substrate by the dip-coating technique, based on which SiO₂ optical waveguides were patterned by DLW using a Ytterbium fiber laser and followed by chemical etching. The effects of laser parameters and the preheated temperature of Sol-Gel films on the dimensions of optical waveguides were studied systematically. The differences of etching rate between laser irradiated and non-irradiated areas in Sol-Gel films preheated at various temperatures are characterized by measuring the thickness of the films. Results demonstrate that the available laser power density range for laser densification and the width of the patterned optical waveguides are influenced strongly by the preheated temperature of the Sol-Gel films. The width of the optimized optical waveguide in this work is 25 μm. The minimum propagation loss of the fabricated optical waveguides is 1.7 dB cm⁻¹ at the wavelength of 1550 nm.     

Computer aided design of inverted strip dielectric waveguide millimeter-wave couplers

A computer aided design technique has been developed for the design of a beam splitter coupler and a distributed type coupler using inverted strip dielectric waveguides. The optical beam principle has been used for the beam splitter coupler. Numerical results for these couplers at 80 GHZ with minimum directivity of 30 dB and VSWR of 1.15 have been presented.This work was supported by the Faculty Research Committee of the University of North Dakota under research Grant Number 1813/0909/2369.     

激光辐照下薄膜镜面波纹损伤机理研究

 用透镜将脉冲激光束聚焦在铝膜镜面上，在部分样品的激光损伤边缘区，出现波纹状损伤形貌。大多数情况下，有多套波纹同时存在，在镜面形成花纹，或者其中有一两套波纹占优势。提出了脉冲激光辐照下光学元件损伤区边缘产生波纹的一种光干涉模型：认为样品表面本身存在微米级杂质颗粒或者表面缺陷点在激光辐照下首先产生鼓包变形，鼓包或杂质颗粒将激光反射（散射）在未发生变形的区域，与直接辐照在该区域的激光束产生干涉，使得变形区周围的光强呈周期性分布，当变形区进一步损伤后，则在损伤区周围留下了波纹状图案。模拟实验验证了这种设想。     

Stressed waveguides with tubular depressed-cladding inscribed in phosphate glasses by femtosecond hollow laser beams

We report on the single-step fabrication of stressed optical waveguides with tubular depressed-refractive-index cladding in phosphate glasses by the use of focused femtosecond hollow laser beams. Tubelike low index regions appear under direct exposure due to material rarefaction following expansion. Strained compacted zones emerged in domains neighboring the tubular track of lower refractive index, and waveguiding occurs mainly within the tube core fabricated by the engineered femtosecond laser beam. The refractive index profile of the optical waveguide was reconstructed from the measured transmitted near-field intensity.     

Optical properties of a waveguide written inside a LiTaO3 crystal by irradiation with focused femtosecond laser pulses

Optical waveguides were fabricated by modifying the optical properties inside a LiTaO₃ crystal by irradiation with femtosecond laser pulses, and the performance and optical properties of the waveguide were investigated. On the basis of near-field pattern of the light guided through the waveguides, the optimum writing conditions such as the pulse energy and the pulse duration were determined. The waveguide written inside a LiTaO₃ crystal had a strong polarization dependence of guided light. Observation by a polarized microscope suggested that the stress distribution around the photoexcited region should be responsible for the polarization dependence of guided light. In addition, the second harmonic generation from a laser beam passing through the waveguide was observed, which suggests that the ferroelectric properties of LiTaO₃ were preserved after the photoexcitation.     

射频激励层叠式波导CO2激光器

提出一种射频激励层叠式波导ＣＯ２激光器技术，在两个波导空间尺寸均为１×１４．５×２００ｍｍ３、射频电源频率为９９ＭＨｚ的条件下，获得最大输出功率为７５Ｗ、最大电光转换效率为１０．８％的实验结果，并在远场得到单峰分布的一维压窄光斑