title: Ultrafast laser inscription of an integrated photonic lantern.
abstract: We used ultrafast laser inscription to fabricate three-dimensional integrated optical transitions that efficiently couple light from a multimode waveguide to a two-dimensional array of single mode waveguides and back. Although the entire device has an average insertion loss of 5.7 dB at 1539 nm, only ≈0.7 dB is due to mode coupling losses. Based on an analysis which is presented in the paper, we expect that our device should convert a multimode input into an array of single modes with a loss of ≈2.0 dB, assuming the input coupling losses are zero. Such devices have applications in astrophotonics and remote sensing.
authors: Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA), School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Physics Department, David Brewster Building, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, Scotland. R.R.Thomson@hw.ac.uk
authors: R R
authors: RR
authors: Thomson
authors: T A
authors: TA
authors: Birks
authors: S G
authors: SG
authors: Leon-Saval
authors: A K
authors: AK
authors: Kar
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Bland-Hawthorn