Nano-fabrication of optical devices in transparent dielectrics: volume gratings in SiO_2 and DFB Color center laser in Lif

摘要

Refractive index-modulated volume-type gratings were holographically encoded inside pure SiO_2 glass and lithium fluoride crystals by a single chirped laser pulse generated from a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser (wavelength ～800 nm, emission pulse duration ～100 fs). The present technique provides a fast method applicable for encoding volume-type gratings inside any non-photosensitive transparent dielectric materials such as SiO_2 glass and sapphire. As an application of the holographic encoding method, distributed feedback laser structure was fabricated in a LiF single-crystal using the gratings thus encoded, which demonstrated room-temperature F_2-color center lasing.