Using tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses, we produce an optical waveguide and optical devices in transparent materials. This technique has the potential to generate not only channel waveguides, but also three-dimensional optical devices. In this paper, an optical splitter and U-grooves, which are used for fiber alignment, are simultaneously fabricated in a fused silica glass using near-IR femtosecond laser pulses. The fiber aligned optical splitter has a low insertion loss, less than 4㏈, including an intrinsic splitting loss of 3㏈ and excess loss due to the passive alignment of a single-mode fiber. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of the femtosecond laser writing technique by fabricating gratings at the surface and inside the silica glass.

© 2005 Optical Society of Korea

1. Miura, J. Qiu, H. Inouye, T. Mitsuyu, and K. Hirao, "Photowritten optical waveguides in various glasses with ultrashort pulse laser," Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 71, pp. 3329-3331, 1997 [CrossRef]
2. K. Hirao and K. Miura, "Writing waveguides and gratings in silica and related materials by a femtosecond laser," J. Non-Cryst. Solids., vol. 239, pp. 91-95, 1998 [CrossRef]
3. K. Kawamura;N. Sarukura;K. Hirao, "Holographic encoding of fine-pitched micrograting structures in amorphous <TEX>$Si0^2$</TEX> thin films on silicon by a single femtosecond laser pulses," Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 78, pp. 1038-1040, 2001 [CrossRef]
4. M. Li, M. Ishizuka, X. Liu, Y. Sugimoto, N. Ikeda, and K. Asakawa, "Nanostructuring in submicron- level waveguides with femtosecond laser pulses," Opt. Commun., vol. 212, pp. 159-163, 2002 [CrossRef]
5. D. Grobnic, C. W. Smelser, S. J. Mihilov, R. B. Walker, and P. Lu, "Fiber Bragg gratings with suppressed cladding modes made in SMF-28 with a femtosecond IR laser and a phase mask," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett., vol. 16, pp. 1864-1866, 2004 [CrossRef]
6. Y. Sikorski, A. A. Said, P. Bado, R. Maynard, C. Florea, and D. K. Killinger, "Optical waveguide amplifier in Nd-doped glass written with near-IR femtosecond laser pulses," Electron. Lett., vol. 36, pp. 396-398, 2000 [CrossRef]
7. A. M. Streltsov and N. F. Borrelli, "Fabrication and analysis of a directional coupler written in glass by nanojoule femtosecond laser pulses," Opt. Lett., vol. 26, pp. 42-43, 2001 [CrossRef]
8. L. Gui, B. Xu, and T. C. Chong, "Microstructure in Lithium Niobate by use of focused femtosecond laser pulses," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett., vol. 16, pp. 1337-1339, 2004 [CrossRef]
9. C. Florea and K. A. Winick, "Fabrication and charac￢terization of photonic devices directly written in glass using femtosecond laser pulses," J. Lightwave Technol., vol. 21, pp. 246-253, 2003 [CrossRef]
10. M. Takahashi, T. Ido, and T. Nagara, "A polymer PLC platform with a fiber-alignment V-groove for a low-cost 10-GbE WDM transmitter," J. Lightwave Technol., vol. 16, pp. 266-268, 2004

Applied Physics Letters

• Miura, J. Qiu, H. Inouye, T. Mitsuyu, and K. Hirao, "Photowritten optical waveguides in various glasses with ultrashort pulse laser," Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 71, pp. 3329-3331, 1997 [CrossRef]
• K. Kawamura;N. Sarukura;K. Hirao, "Holographic encoding of fine-pitched micrograting structures in amorphous <TEX>$Si0^2$</TEX> thin films on silicon by a single femtosecond laser pulses," Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 78, pp. 1038-1040, 2001 [CrossRef]

Electronics Letters

• Y. Sikorski, A. A. Said, P. Bado, R. Maynard, C. Florea, and D. K. Killinger, "Optical waveguide amplifier in Nd-doped glass written with near-IR femtosecond laser pulses," Electron. Lett., vol. 36, pp. 396-398, 2000 [CrossRef]

J. Lightwave Technol.

• M. Takahashi, T. Ido, and T. Nagara, "A polymer PLC platform with a fiber-alignment V-groove for a low-cost 10-GbE WDM transmitter," J. Lightwave Technol., vol. 16, pp. 266-268, 2004

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids

• K. Hirao and K. Miura, "Writing waveguides and gratings in silica and related materials by a femtosecond laser," J. Non-Cryst. Solids., vol. 239, pp. 91-95, 1998 [CrossRef]

Lightwave Technology, Journal of

• C. Florea and K. A. Winick, "Fabrication and charac￢terization of photonic devices directly written in glass using femtosecond laser pulses," J. Lightwave Technol., vol. 21, pp. 246-253, 2003 [CrossRef]

Optics Communications

• M. Li, M. Ishizuka, X. Liu, Y. Sugimoto, N. Ikeda, and K. Asakawa, "Nanostructuring in submicron- level waveguides with femtosecond laser pulses," Opt. Commun., vol. 212, pp. 159-163, 2002 [CrossRef]

Optics Letters

• A. M. Streltsov and N. F. Borrelli, "Fabrication and analysis of a directional coupler written in glass by nanojoule femtosecond laser pulses," Opt. Lett., vol. 26, pp. 42-43, 2001 [CrossRef]

Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE

• L. Gui, B. Xu, and T. C. Chong, "Microstructure in Lithium Niobate by use of focused femtosecond laser pulses," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett., vol. 16, pp. 1337-1339, 2004 [CrossRef]
• D. Grobnic, C. W. Smelser, S. J. Mihilov, R. B. Walker, and P. Lu, "Fiber Bragg gratings with suppressed cladding modes made in SMF-28 with a femtosecond IR laser and a phase mask," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett., vol. 16, pp. 1864-1866, 2004 [CrossRef]

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