Fabrication of high-efficiency diffraction gratings in glass

We investigated a microfabrication process for optical gratings with periods of micrometer order that use ultrafast laser pulses in semiconductor-doped glass. ZnS- or PbS-doped SiO2-Al2O3-B2O3-CaO-ZnO-Na2O-K2O glass was prepared by a melting method. Glass transmission diffraction gratings with a high refractive-index difference were fabricated with femtosecond laser pulses. The first-order diffraction efficiencies of these gratings were approximately 80%, and the first-order diffraction angles of these gratings were 8degrees at telecommunication wavelengths. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.