Formation of nanogratings driven by ultrafast laser irradiation in mid-IR heavy oxide glasses. Issue 21 (1st November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yao, Heng; Zaiter, Rayan; Cavillon, Maxime; Delullier, Pierre; Lu, Bo; Cardinal, Thierry; Dai, Ye; Poumellec, Bertrand; Lancry, Matthieu
• Is Part Of: Ceramics international. Volume 48:Issue 21(2022)
• Page Start: 31363
• Page End: 31369
• Publication Date: 2022-11-01
• Subjects: Femtosecond laser -- Barium gallo-germanate glass -- Nanogratings -- Birefringence -- Photonic applications; Ceramics -- Periodicals; Céramique industrielle -- Périodiques; Ceramics; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 666
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2022.07.012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0272-8842

Abstract

Abstract: This work demonstrates for the first time the formation of nanogratings inside Barium Gallo-Germanate (BGG) glasses using femtosecond laser direct writing. These heavy oxide glasses, with a characterized transparency window up to 6 μ m, along with the polarization sensitive birefringent nanostructures induced by femtosecond laser, offer an excellent platform for the development of mid-Infrared photonic applications. The fabricated glasses, containing both rare earth elements (Gd, Y) and transition metals (Zn, Ta), are directly compared to amorphous GeO2 and commercial alumino-germanate (Corning-9754) glasses commonly used in this field. The nanogratings processing window in each glass was investigated by varying laser parameters (pulse duration, energy, repetition rate), and electron microscopy imaging directly evidenced the porous nanostructures. Among the results, a strong form birefringence in 8% ZnO containing BGG glass, e.g., up to −0.029 ± 0.001, was reported. Finally, birefringent embedded Fresnel GRIN plates were directly written in a BGG glass, to demonstrate the functionalization potential of these materials.