Abstract

We report the first Yb:ZBLAN and Yb:IOG10 waveguide lasers fabricated by the fs-laser direct-writing technique. Pulses from a Titanium-Sapphire laser oscillator with 5.1 MHz repetition rate were utilized to generate negative refractive index modifications in both glasses. Multiple modifications were aligned in a depressed cladding geometry to create a waveguide. For Yb:ZBLAN we demonstrate high laser slope efficiency of 84% with a maximum output power of 170 mW. By using Yb:IOG10 a laser performance of 25% slope efficiency and 72 mW output power was achieved and we measured a remarkably high refractive index change exceeding Δn = 2.3 × 10(-2).

Highlights

  • Integrated photonic devices are gaining in scientific and industrial importance since they offer complex circuitry and hybrid functionality on a small footprint [1,2,3]

  • We report the first Yb:ZBLAN and Yb:IOG10 waveguide lasers fabricated by the fs-laser direct-writing technique

  • These Waveguide lasers (WGLs) were written in the athermal regime with kHz-repetition rate femtosecond pulses that gave rise to a positive refractive index change (RIC)

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Summary

Introduction

Integrated photonic devices are gaining in scientific and industrial importance since they offer complex circuitry and hybrid functionality on a small footprint [1,2,3]. Direct-written Yb-doped phosphate glass WGLs suffered from self-annealing during operation that leads to degradation of the waveguides and the incorporated Bragg-gratings [16] These WGLs were written in the athermal regime with kHz-repetition rate femtosecond pulses that gave rise to a positive refractive index change (RIC). While it became clear that Yb:IOG1, a commercial phosphate glass from Schott, is not suited for our purposes [18], Yb:IOG10, a silicate glass (Schott), was a more encouraging candidate based on previous studies [22] In the latter a MHz-laser was utilized to fabricate reasonably circular modifications with negative RIC in undoped IOG10. For each material we discuss specific fabrication requirements, waveguide properties and lasing performance

Waveguide laser fabrication and guiding properties
Waveguide laser characterization
Findings
Conclusion

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