Ultrafast Laser Studies of Photonic Materials and Structures

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Ultrafast lasers with pulse widths of a few hundred femtoseconds or less have emerged as powerful tools for research in recent years. They are both the light sources to probe ultrafast processes in photonic materials and components and the tools to develop miniaturized photonic devices with high degree of integration. Understanding the interactions between ultrafast lasers and photonic materials and structures are extremely important for their applications. In this study, we will investigate photonic materials and structures probed by femtosecond lasers and their unique optical properties. The photonic materials to be studied include glasses in the forms of fiber and block as well as organic and polymer materials. The photonic structures to be investigated are the photonic micro-/nano-structures fabricated by femtosecond lasers, which include microchannels and waveguides in bulk dielectrics, microstructured optical fibers, and photonic bandgap structures. The study will focus on the following areas: (1) Ultrafast laser interaction with photonic materials with a unique effort to achieve simultaneous monitoring of changes in the composition and morphology during femtosecond laser ablation. (2) Novel optical properties of photonic materials and structures revealed by femtosecond lasers. (3) Ultrafast laser fabrication of photonic micro-/nano-structures, including microstructured optical fibers for monitoring environmental parameters, optofluidic devices for fluid diagnostics, and photonic crystals as a building block for a variety of photonic devices and systems. The knowledge acquired from this research will have potential applications in optical sensing, signal processing, telecommunication and biomedical engineering, and benefit Canadian industries in these fields