Laser shaping of photonic materials: deep-ultraviolet and ultrafast lasers

Optical materials are especially challenging to process with conventional l asers simply because of their high transparency. We are exploiting two extr emes in laser technology - ultrafast lasers and very short wavelength Fz la sers - to microsculpt surfaces and to control refractive index in transpare nt glasses. These lasers drive fundamentally different interactions, many-p hoton and 'big' photon, respectively, that offer distinct advantages and li mitations for shaping photonic devices in fused silica. Comparisons of surf ace morphology, shock-induced microcracking, resolution, and photosensitivi ty responses are presented. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.