Femtosecond laser written surface waveguides fabricated in Nd:YAG ceramics

Near surface channel waveguides have been fabricated in Neodymium doped YAG ceramics by using IR femtosecond laser irradiation at the low frequency regime. Single mode guidance has been demonstrated with propagation losses of ~1 dB/cm. Time resolved confocal micro-luminescence experiments have been used to determine the spectroscopic properties of the Nd(3+) laser ions in the channel waveguide as well as to elucidate the waveguide formation processes.