Ultrafast Laser-Fabricated Fluoride Glass Waveguides with Exceptionally High Positive Refractive Index Change for Mid-Infrared Integrated Optics

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates ultrafast laser fabrication of fluoride glass waveguides with exceptionally high positive refractive index change, enabling advanced mid-infrared integrated optics with potential for miniaturization and novel applications.

Contribution

It introduces a method to create high-index change waveguides in fluoride glasses, overcoming previous fabrication challenges and enabling true 3D optical geometries for mid-infrared applications.

Findings

Refractive index change exceeds 0.02 in fluoride glasses.

Waveguides exhibit low insertion losses and multimode operation at 3.5 μm.

Material densification driven by element migration causes high index change.

Abstract

This study reports the successful fabrication of high-positive refractive index change waveguides, exceeding 0.02 in fluoride glasses, marking a significant advancement in integrated optical components for visible to mid-infrared applications. This research overcomes longstanding challenges in direct-write photonics and therefore enables the realization of true 3D geometries in optical elements, access to novel visible lasing wavelengths typically suppressed in high phonon hosts, and the miniaturization of mid-infrared optical devices. The investigation into the waveguides' origin attributes the exceptionally high index change to material densification driven by the migration of specific elements, mainly barium, within the glass composition. These waveguides, characterized by low insertion losses, and highly customizable V-numbers evidenced by multimode operation at 3.5 um, offers substantial potential for chip laser technology and the creation of advanced optical devices for sensing and spectroscopy.