Open AccessCladding-like waveguide fabricated by cooperation of ultrafast laser writing and ion irradiation: characterization and laser generation
Author(s) -
Jinman Lv,
Zhen Shang,
Yang Tan,
Javier R. Vázquez de Aldana,
Feng Chen
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.25.019603
Subject(s) - materials science , cladding (metalworking) , optics , laser , ultrashort pulse , waveguide , refractive index , optoelectronics , lasing threshold , irradiation , wavelength , physics , nuclear physics , metallurgy
We report the surface cladding-like waveguide fabricated by the cooperation of the ultrafast laser writing and the ion irradiation. The ultrafast laser writes tracks near the surface of the Nd:YAG crystal, constructing a semi-circle columnar structure with a decreased refractive index of - 0.00208. Then, the Nd:YAG crystal is irradiated by the Carbon ion beam, forming an enhanced-well in the semi-circle columnar with an increased refractive index of + 0.0024. Tracks and the enhanced-well consisted a surface cladding-like waveguide. Utilizing this cladding-like waveguide as the gain medium for the waveguide lasing, optimized characterizations were observed compared with the monolayer waveguide. This work demonstrates the refractive index of the Nd:YAG crystal can be well tailored by the cooperation of the ultrafast laser writing and the ion irradiation, which provides an convenient way to fabricate the complex and multilayered photonics devices.