Femtosecond Laser-Written Waveguides in a Bismuth Germanate Single Crystal

We demonstrate the fabrication of symmetric waveguides in a bismuth germanate (BGO) single crystal using a double line approach by an 800 nm femtosecond laser. The optical attenuation of the single mode waveguide is measured to be 4.2 dB/cm at 633 nm. The influence of pulse energy and focal depth on the end facet of the irradiated region is also studied. This technique is promising to fabricate buried BGO waveguide arrays used in positron emission tomography systems.