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Optical channel waveguides written by high repetition rate femtosecond laser irradiation in Li–Zn fluoroborate glass

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Abstract

Low loss, optical channel waveguides have been successfully produced by high repetition rate femtosecond laser inscription in a Li–Zn fluoroborate glass (64.9B2O3 + 25Li2O + 10ZnF2 + 0.1Er2O3). High quality waveguides were produced at 500 kHz, 1 MHz and 2 MHz laser repetition rates, showing a refractive index contrast in the range of 3–6 × 10−3 depending on laser fluences. Dependence of experimental parameters such as average laser power, pulse repetition rate and writing speed on the properties of fabricated waveguides has been discussed. The comparison of optical and compositional characterization techniques evidences an enrichment of B and Zn in the guiding region, while F migrates to the heat diffused region of the written structure.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been partly funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project No. TEC2014- 52642-C2-1-R). Dr. Sunil Thomas is grateful to the Claude Leon Foundation, South Africa, for financial support. The authors acknowledge SAIF, IIT Bombay for the WDS measurements. Financial assistance from University Grants Commission (Government of India) through SAP-DRS phase I program is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Electronics, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa

    Sunil Thomas

  2. Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 30133, Milan, Italy

    T. Toney Fernandez

  3. Grupo de Procesado por Laser, Instituto de Optica, CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Javier Solis

  4. School of Pure and Applied Physics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, 686 560, India

    P. R. Biju & N. V. Unnikrishnan

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  1. Sunil Thomas
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  2. T. Toney Fernandez
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  3. Javier Solis
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  4. P. R. Biju
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  5. N. V. Unnikrishnan
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Correspondence to N. V. Unnikrishnan.

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Thomas, S., Fernandez, T.T., Solis, J. et al. Optical channel waveguides written by high repetition rate femtosecond laser irradiation in Li–Zn fluoroborate glass. J Opt 47, 412–415 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12596-018-0462-1

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