Developing a new class of active photonic components

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Waveguide optics and more precisely optical fibres have had a broad and profound impact on modern society. The exponential growth of bandwidth for the Internet bears witness to the development of a fiberoptic based high-bit-rate telecommunication network. Currently, there is a tremendous need to develop compact and reliable optical sources that will practically extend the realm of photonics to other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, specifically in the long wavelength range where it would find applications in numerous areas, including the biomedical sector (dentistry, surgery), the environment (gas sensing, spectroscopy, laser radars) as well as Defence & Security. Fibre lasers have shown great potential to achieve these application goals. This research program is therefore aimed at developing a new generation of photonic components (primarily fibre lasers) with enhanced properties and extended spectral coverage. It relies on the recent development of femtosecond laser sources capable of inducing permanent structural changes in the physical properties of optical materials, namely glass. Specifically, one of the main objectives of this research program is to develop monolithic (i.e. all-fibre or all-integrated) active and passive photonic devices that will cover wavelength windows that are not accessible with silica-based components, in the visible and the mid-IR to be more precise. To this end, we will use low-phonon energy glasses, such as fluoride (e.g. ZBLAN) and chalcogenide as the materials of choice. Special attention will also be paid to the fundamental issues related to the interaction of dielectric materials with ultrafast laser pulses.