Femtosecond laser inscription of near-IR laser-gain medium based on laser-induced hydride donor/acceptor complexes

Femtosecond laser inscription is a unique approach to achieve non-conventional manufacturing of integrated photonic devices such as laser waveguides. Our approach relies on sensitized glasses containing both silver and Ytterbium ions. Laser inscription allows for the 3D-localized production of highly luminescent molecular silver clusters that support waveguiding architectures. We demonstrate efficient energy transfers from silver clusters to Ytterbium, allowing for background-free 3D-localized near-IR emission. Near-IR laser amplification under indirect pumping is demonstrated, depicting the localized creation of a hybrid laser gain medium involving silver clusters and Ytterbium ions as donor/acceptor pairs. Further work targets to demonstrate integrated laser behavior.