Infrared photosensitivity in silica glasses exposed to femtosecond laser pulses.
We investigate the use of infrared femtosecond laser pulses to induce highly localized refractive-index changes in fused-silica glasses. We characterize the magnitude of the change as a function of exposure and measure index changes as large as 3x10(-3) and 5x10(-3) in pure fused silica and boron-doped silica, respectively. The potential of this technique for writing three-dimensional photonic structures in bulk glasses is demonstrated by the fabrication of a Y coupler within a sample of pure fused silica.
Homoelle
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D
Wielandy
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Gaeta
A L
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Borrelli
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NF
Smith
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