MRI: Acquisition of an Ultrafast Laser System for the Fabrication of Three-Dimensional Photonic Devices

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(Public Law 111-5)提供资金，用于购买高功率、高重复频率、波长可调、飞秒超快激光系统，用于研究激光材料相互作用和制造三维光子器件。超快激光加工定义了当今的前沿--S激光加工技术。飞秒激光脉冲驱动普遍存在的多光子光敏过程来改变许多透明材料的折射率。多光子过程通过将激光束紧密聚焦到光学衬底上，产生低于衍射极限的纳米级折射率变化，从而实现超高精度光学器件的制造。通过利用高重复频率激光脉冲的整体加热效应，可以减轻激光引起的材料损伤。利用所获得的激光系统，将深入研究超快激光的光敏机理。探索一系列光学材料的最佳激光加工窗口，以制作其他方法无法获得的高性能三维光子器件。这项拟议研究的成功将产生一种跨平台激光制造技术，在广泛的光学基板上生产高质量和低损耗的光波电路，用于有源和无源应用。它将极大地增加光电路的密度、功能和复杂性。该计划还为研究生和本科生提供了独特的多学科培训机会。培训机会将涵盖激光制造技术的方方面面，包括激光、光学设计、计算机控制、机器视觉、微结构分析、光纤光学和非线性光学。通过匹兹堡大学S少数民族导师EXCEL计划招募的少数族裔和女性代表不足的学生将被鼓励参加学术研究和培训。

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."This award provides funding to acquire a high-power, high-repetition-rate, wavelength-tunable, femtosecond ultrafast laser system to study laser material interaction and to fabricate three-dimensional photonic devices. The ultrafast laser processing defines the forefront of today?s laser processing technology. Femtosecond laser pulses drive universal multi-photon photosensitivity process to change refractive index in many transparent materials. By tightly focusing the laser beam into optical substrates, the multi-photon process produces below diffraction-limit nanometer-size refractive index change for the ultra-high precision optical device fabrication. Laser-induced material damage can be mitigated by exploiting the bulk heating effect from high-repetition laser pulses. Using the acquired laser system, the mechanism of ultrafast laser photosensitivity will be thorough studied. The optimal laser processing window for a wide array of optical materials will be explored to fabricate high performance three-dimensional photonic devices that are un-attainable by other fabrication approach. The success of the proposed research will yield a cross-platform laser fabrication technique to produce high-quality and low-loss lightwave circuits in a wide array of optical substrates for both active and passive applications. It will drastically increase the density, functionality, and complexity of the optical circuitry. This program also enables unique multi-disciplinary training opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students. Training opportunities will cover all aspects of the laser fabrication technology including lasers, optical designs, computer control, machine vision, microstructure analysis, fiber optics, and nonlinear optics. Recruited through the University of Pittsburgh?s minority mentor EXCEL program, underrepresented minority and female students to will be encouraged to participate in academic research and training.