Ultrafast laser beam shaping: engineering 3D photonics devices for integration in bulk to fibre glasses (Invited Paper)

Adaptive Optics (AO) is facilitating new forms of laser beam shaping from which novel forms of three-dimensional (3D) nano-structures may be tailored inside of transparent material by ultrashort-pulsed laser interaction. The assembly of such tailored nano-diffractive elements into micro-optic diffractive optics presents new opportunities for photonics integration and packaging that encompasses 3D processing over a broad range of applications based inside of bulk glasses, thin transparent films, and optical fibre. The presentation explores opportunities for integrating multi-functional photonic and opto-fluidic devices into a compact platform of lab-in-fiber (LIF) or fiber cladding photonics that bypass requirements for integration of planar waveguide circuits with fiber optic networks. Alternatively, the 3D laser nano-structuring promises new means for fiber-to-chip packaging with 3D waveguide circuits, for example, the formation of low profile interposers that permit low-loss grating coupling of optical fibers to silicon photonic chips.