Development of a 3D ultrafast laser written near-infrared spectro-interferometer

Abstract

Direct ultrafast laser photoinscription of transparent materials is a powerful technique for the development of embedded 3D photonics. This is particularly adaptable for astrophotonic devices when a number of inputs are required. The process relies essentially on volume fabrication of waveguiding structures in flexible 3D designs and refractive index contrast parameters adjustable for specific spectral ranges. This enables 3D geometry and thus avoids in-plane crossings of waveguides that can induce losses and cross talk in multi-telescope beam combiners. The additional novel capability of the technique allows for the fabrication of high aspect ratio nanostructures nonperturbatively sampling the optical field. Combining ultrafast laser micro- and nanoprocessing with engineered beams, we present here results for the development of chip-sized silica glass integrated robust 3D three-telescope beam combiners in the near-IR range, as well as embedded diffraction gratings, for phase closure analysis and spectro-interferometry applications in astronomy.