Nanoscale surface and subsurface defects induced in lithium niobate by a femtosecond laser

In this letter, electron and ion microscopy techniques have been used to characterize the changes that result when single crystals of lithium niobate are processed using a focused femtosecond laser. The prevailing observation is that of competing processes—ablation and partial redeposition, thermal shock, and extreme quenching, as well as effects associated with shock wave propagation, resulting in both amorphization and heavily defective regions at the focal point of the laser pulse. The observed microstructural defects have a direct implication in optical memory or waveguide writing, where the goal is to realize consistent structural features with uniform optical properties.