Optical waveguide fabrication for integrated photonic devices

The dynamic nature of future optical networks requires high levels of integration, fast response times, and adaptability of the optical components. Laser micromachining circumvents the limitations of planar integration, making three-dimensional integration possible and allowing dense packaging of optical devices with no alignment requirements. Femtosecond micromachining provides the analog of circuit printing by wiring light between various photonic devices as well as printing the actual photonic device into a single or various substrates. Oscillator-only machining has several advantages over amplified femtosecond laser machining: easy control over the size of the structures without changing focusing, polarization-independent structures, lower initial investment cost and higher-speed manufacturing. In this talk we will review recent results obtained in the field of femtosecond micromachining.