The Magic of Nonlinear Laser Processing: Nanostructuring Inside Thin Films and Shaping Multi-Functional Lab-in-Fibre

The manipulation of femtosecond laser light inside transparent media can be directed on varying interaction pathways of microexplosions, photochemistry, and self-focusing filamentation to open new directions for creating dense memory storage, three-dimensional (3D) optical circuits, 3D microfluidic networks and high-speed scribing tracks. The presentation follows these fundamental interactions towards controlling laser processes in transparent glasses, particularly in optical fibers and thin films that enable highly functional and compact devices to form with the benefits of seamless integration with single mode optical fibers or microelectronic chips. The concept of forming 3D optical circuits within the fiber cladding is presented together with the means for coupling light efficiently with the fiber core waveguide. Chemical etching of laser-generated nanogratings are used to embed microfluidic channels, micro-optical devices and optical resonator components. The laser writing overall provides a flexible integration of fiber-cladding photonics and microfluidics on which to build 3D opto-fluidic microsystems in our common base of optical networks through to minimally invasive biomedical probes. The approach promises to reduce fabrication and packaging costs and to enable highly functional all-fiber microsystems for optical communications, fiber lasers, and sensing. Examples of integrated approaches in lab-in-a-fiber devices, smart medical catheters, and lab-in-film devices are presented.

Bio:

Peter R. Herman received the B.Eng. degree (1980) in Engineering Physics at McMaster University. He earned MASc (1982) and PhD (1986) degrees studying lasers and diatomic spectroscopy in the Physics Department at the University of Toronto that followed with a post-doctoral position at the Institute of Laser Engineering in Osaka University, Japan (1987) to the study of laser-plasma physics and x-ray lasers. He joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto in 1988 where he holds a full professor position. Professor Herman directs a large and collaborative research group that develops and applies laser technology and advanced beam delivery systems to control and harvest laser interactions in new frontiers of 3-D nanofabrication. Our mantra is: “We begin with light and we end with light devices.” To this end we are inventing new methods for processing internally inside optical materials that carve out highly compact and functional lightwave circuits, microfluidics, optofluidic systems, biophotonic sensors, and smart medical catheters. Our end goals are inventing new manufacturing processes and extending optical device and Lab-on-a-chip concepts towards more compact Lab-in-a-fiber and Lab-in-a-film microsystems. Professor Herman is OSA fellow, holds several patents, spun out one company (FiLaser; acquired by Rofin 2014), and has published over 300 papers in journals and conference proceedings.

Website: Laser photonics fabrication, University of Toronto