Femtosecond laser inscription and micromachining in novel flexible glass flat-fibre chips

Abstract

We demonstrate femtosecond laser micro-machining and inscription of micro-optical structures, such as ring and disk resonators, Mach-Zender interferometers, and complex microfluidic devices, in a novel optical flat-fibre chip. In addition, we fill the channels with functional materials that can be used for sensing applications. Furthermore, direct write femtosecond-laser inscribed Bragg gratings are written in the Ge-doped flat-fibre core at 1547.8 nm. The flat-fibre chip offers a unique degree of freedom by allowing surface and sub-surface devices to be integrated onto an optical platform with the potential for straightforward incorporation into integrated photonic circuits or optofluidic devices.