Xinshun Wang

Electro-optic integration of embedded electrodes and waveguides in LiNbO 3 using a femtosecond laser

We describe the fabrication of a Mach-Zehnder optical modulator in LiNbO(3) by femtosecond laser micromachining, which is composed of optical waveguides inscripted by a femtosecond laser and embedded microelectrodes subsequently fabricated using femtosecond laser ablation and selective electroless plating. A half-wave voltage close to 19 V is achieved at a wavelength of 632.8 nm with an interaction length of 2.6 mm. This simple and cost-effective technique opens up new opportunities for fabricating integrated electro-optic devices.

Selective metallization on insulator surfaces with femtosecond laser pulses

We report selective metallization on surfaces of insulators (glass slides and lithium niobate crystal) based on femtosecond laser modification combined with electroless plating. The process is mainly composed of four steps: (1) formation of silver nitrate thin films on the surfaces of glass or crystal substrates; (2) generation of silver particles in the irradiated area by femtosecond laser direct writing; (3) removal of unirradiated silver nitrate films; and (4) selective electroless plating in the modified area. We discuss the mechanism of selective metallization on the insulators. Moreover, we investigate the electrical and adhesive properties of the copper microstructures patterned on the insulator surfaces, showing great potential of integrating electrical functions into lab-on-a-chip devices.

Formation mechanism of self-organized voids in dielectrics induced by tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses

In this paper, we briefly summarize two typical morphology characteristics of the self-organized void array induced in bulk of fused silica glass by a tightly focused femtosecond laser beam, such as the key role of high numerical aperture in the void array formation and the concentric-circle-like structure indicated by the top view of the void array. By adopting a physical model which combines the nonlinear propagation of femtosecond laser pulses with the spherical aberration effect (SA) at the interface of two mediums of different refractive indices, reasonable agreements between the simulation results and the experimental results are obtained. By comparing the fluence distributions of the case with both SA and nonlinear effects included and the case with only consideration of SA, we suggest that spherical aberration, which results from the refractive index mismatch between air and fused silica glass, is the main reason for the formation of the self-organized void array.

Fabrication of two-dimensional periodic nanostructures by two-beam interference of femtosecond pulses.

Two-dimensional periodic nanostructures on ZnO crystal surface were fabricated by two-beam interference of 790 nm femtosecond laser. The long period is, as usually reported, determined by the interference pattern of two laser beams. Surprisingly, there is another short periodic nanostructures with periods of 220-270 nm embedding in the long periodic structures. We studied the periods, orientation, and the evolution of the short periodic nanostructures, and found them analogous to the self-organized nanostructures induced by single fs laser beam.

Multiphoton-excited upconversion luminescence of Nd: YVO 4

Fluorescence spectra of Nd:YVO(4) under excitation of a continuous wave (CW) diode laser and a femtosecond laser at 800nm were investigated. It was found that Nd:YVO(4) shows different upconversion and downconversion luminescencent behaviors when excited by the diode laser and the femtosecond laser. The dependence of the upconversion luminescence intensity on the pump power of the femtosecond laser was discussed. The populations of the upper energy levels for upconversion and downconversion luminescence were calculated based on the Bloch equations. The calculations agree well with the experimental results.

Microstructures induced in the bulk of SrTiO3 crystal by a femtosecond laser

Microstructures with the total length of hundreds of mu m were induced by fixing the focal point of the femtosecond laser at a certain depth in the bulk of SrTiO(3) crystal. By different combination of the focusing conditions with the laser parameters, different morphologies have been observed, such as void array, necklace-shaped structures, continuous/ segmental filaments and etc. The possible mechanism of the formation of those diversiform structures is discussed.

Orientation-controllable self-organized microgratings induced in the bulk SrTiO 3 crystal by a single femtosecond laser beam

Self-organized microgratings were induced in the bulk SrTiO(3) crystal by readily scanning the laser focus in the direction perpendicular to the laser propagation axis. The groove orientations of those gratings could be controlled by changing the irradiation pulse number per unit scanning length, which could be implemented either through adjusting the scanning velocity at a fixed pulse repetition rate or through varying the pulse repetition rate at a fixed scanning velocity. This high-speed method for fabrication of microgratings will have many potential applications in the integration of micro-optical elements. The possible formation mechanism of the self-organized microgratings is also discussed.

Selective deposition of conductive copper films on glass surfaces using femtosecond laser surface modification and electroless plating

In this paper, selective deposition of conductive copper films on glass surfaces is demonstrated with the assistance of femtosecond laser surface modification followed by electroless plating. Irradiation of femtosecond laser makes it possible to selectively deposit copper films in the irradiated area on glass surfaces coated with silver nitrate films. The influence of the laser direct writing parameters and the electroless plating process on the formation of copper films is discussed. Meanwhile, the electric properties of copper films are investigated, which confirms that copper films are conductive. A tentative mechanism of the selective deposition process is also proposed. In addition, the potential application of this technique for integrating electrical and thermal functions into microdevices is discussed.