Product Code: PIC2008_M706

Ultrafast Laser Microprocessing and Microwelding (Invited Paper)
Authors:
Kazuyoshi Itoh, Osaka Uinversity; Suita, Osaka Japan
Takayuki Tamaki, Nara National College of Technology; Nara Japan
Presented at PICALO 2008

When ultrafast laser pulses are focused inside transparent materials such as glass, the optical intensity in the focal area can usually become high enough to initiate the nonlinear optical absorption and then the filamentary propagation of optical pulses. The nonlinear absorption leads to the avalanche ionization process and plasma is generated along the filamentary area. Due to this process, microstructure of the material is modified and usually the refractive index increases. This increase of index can be utilized to form photonic devices such as a waveguide, micro lens and mirror inside the materials. If the ultrafast laser pulses are focused just before the interface between transparent materials, both of the materials can locally be melted and the materials are joined after resolidification. The second material can be opaque. The recent experimental results of device fabrication and those of microwelding of transparent materials such as the silica and borosilicate glass and heterogeneous materials such as glass and metals will be presented.