Raman spectra study on modifications of BK7 glass induced by 1030-nm and 515-nm femtosecond laser

The direct femtosecond laser writing has been proved to be one of the most efficient techniques for microstructuring of transparent materials, which can induce refractive index modifications to construct waveguide structures. In this work, laser-induced tracks with single-line configuration are formed inside the BK7 glass by using inscription of femtosecond laser pulses with 1 MHz repetition rate at wavelength of 1030 nm and 515 nm, respectively. The high-resolution confocal Raman spectra are obtained in the track regions to investigate the physical mechanisms of the modification. The results indicate that the specified regions inside the tracks induced by 1030-nm femtosecond laser expand and squeeze the adjacent area under certain writing conditions, leading to a refractive index increase in the core region. The 515-nm femtosecond laser brings out relatively more severe damage in comparison to the 1030-nm laser irradiation. A directional coupler structure has been fabricated by using the optimized writing parameters, showing a nearly balanced output with a ratio of 49.7:50.3 and an insertion loss of 1.36 dB for the single-line waveguide at 1064 nm.

Automated summary

Direct femtosecond laser writing is an efficient technique for microstructuring transparent materials, inducing refractive index modifications to construct waveguide structures. Different wavelength laser pulses were used to form single-line tracks in glass, with high-resolution confocal Raman spectra obtained in the track regions to investigate the physical mechanisms of the modification.