Title :
Micromachining of Diffractive Optical Elements Embedded in Bulk Fused Silica by Nanosecond Pulses
Author :
Salgado-Remacha, Francisco Javier ; Sanchez-Brea, Luis Miguel ; Bernabeu, Eusebio
Author_Institution :
Univ. Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
fDate :
3/15/2011 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
Micro-optical devices embedded in transparent materials are usually manufactured focusing a pulsed laser in bulk fused silica. Under this condition, pulsewidth becomes the most important parameter that rules the size of the inscriptions. Ultrafast pulses (pico- and femtosecond pulses) avoid thermal effects and the results present a high efficiency. Nevertheless, nanosecond lasers are more available due the reduced costs. Therefore, a study of the optical behavior of embedded elements micromachined by nanosecond pulses is required. In this study, we show that this regime of pulses can still be used for engraving diffractive optical elements in transparent materials, regardless of the thermal damage. A Fresnel zone plate and a far-field beam shaper have been manufactured as an example of the functionality of these devices.
Keywords :
Fresnel diffraction; diffractive optical elements; high-speed optical techniques; micro-optics; micromachining; optical fabrication; optical pulse shaping; self-induced transparency; silicon compounds; Fresnel zone plate; SiO2; bulk fused silica; diffractive optical elements; far-field beam shaper; femtosecond pulse; micromachining; microoptical devices; nanosecond pulses; picosecond pulse; pulsed laser focusing; transparent materials; ultrafast pulses; Diffraction; glass; integrated optics; laser application; micromachining; optical device fabrication; optical memories;
Journal_Title :
Lightwave Technology, Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JLT.2011.2104939