Thermally reconfigurable quantum photonic circuits at telecom wavelength by femtosecond laser micromachining

The importance of integrated quantum photonics in the telecom band is based on the possibility of interfacing with the optical network infrastructure that was developed for classical communications.In this framework,femtosecond laser-written integrated photonic circuits,which have already been assessed for use in quantum information experiments in the 800-nm wavelength range,have great potential.In fact,these circuits,being written in glass,can be perfectly mode-matched at telecom wavelength to the in/out coupling fibers,which is a key requirement for a low-loss processing node in future quantum optical networks.In addition,for several applications,quantum photonic devices must be dynamically reconfigurable.Here,we experimentally demonstrate the high performance of femtosecond laser-written photonic circuits for use in quantum experiments in the telecom band,and we demonstrate the use of thermal shifters,which were also fabricated using the same femtosecond laser,to accurately tune such circuits.State-of-the-art manipulation of single-and two-photon states is demonstrated,with fringe visibilities greater than 95%.The results of this work open the way to the realization of reconfigurable quantum photonic circuits based on this technological platform.

Femtosecond laser direct writing of flexibly configured waveguide geometries in optical crystals:fabrication and application

Optical waveguides are far more than mere connecting elements in integrated optical systems and circuits.Benefiting from their high optical confinement and miniaturized footprints,waveguide structures established based on crystalline materials,particularly,are opening exciting possibilities and opportunities in photonic chips by facilitating their on-chip integration with different functionalities and highly compact photonic circuits.Femtosecond-laser-direct writing(FsLDW),as a true three-dimensional(3D)micromachining and microfabrication technology,allows rapid prototyping of on-demand waveguide geometries inside transparent materials via localized material modification.The success of FsLDW lies not only in its unsurpassed aptitude for realizing 3D devices but also in its remarkable material-independence that enables cross-platform solutions.This review emphasizes FsLDW fabrication of waveguide structures with 3D layouts in dielectric crystals.Their functionalities as passive and active photonic devices are also demonstrated and discussed.

Advances in femtosecond laser direct writing of fiber Bragg gratings in multicore fibers:technology,sensor and laser applications

In this article,we review recent advances in the technology of writing fiber Bragg gratings(FBGs)in selected cores of multicore fibers(MCFs)by using femtosecond laser pulses.The writing technology of such a key element as the FBG opens up wide opportunities for the creation of next generation fiber lasers and sensors based on MCFs.The advantages of the technology are shown by using the examples of 3D shape sensors,acoustic emission sensors with spatially multiplexed channels,as well as multicore fiber Raman lasers.

Femtosecond laser-engineered 3D microfluidic chips: Synthesis system sprouting highly efficient multiphase organic reactions

Recent developments in the utilization of microfluidic chips(MFCs) have shown their potential utility in multiphase organic synthesis by enabling efficient organic reactions in flow chemistry. However, MFCs technology has been wandering in the laboratory of small dose synthetic routes, which is limited to the level of "tiny" fluid flux. To address this issue, we herein report the first case of the chips with highthroughput 3D channels produced by femtosecond laser being used to create a time-saving, cost-effective and risk-free approach suitable for large-scale flow synthesis. Several multiphase reactions have been successfully prepared on demand in our designed flow synthesis system containing 3D MFCs: 1) benzyl alcohol was converted to benzaldehyde in 3 min with a yield of 97.50% by liquid-liquid two-phase transfer catalytic oxidation;2) organozinc reagents and α-cyano carbonyl carbon compounds were synthesized by solid-liquid two-phase metal insertion reaction in 7 min, and the yield was up to 100%;3) benzoic acid was synthesized by gas-liquid two-phase carboxylation reaction in 2.8 s with a yield of 96%. Significant gains in production rate result from the effective scaling of flow reactors from microliters per hour in MFCs to intermediate milliliters per minute without affecting mass transport performance. Meanwhile,our 3D MFCs show excellent mass and heat transfer efficiency in large-scale industrial units, breaking through the bottleneck in this field. As a result, it is possible to imagine the creation of a new, streamlined flow synthetic technique via MFCs for green multiphase organic synthesis.

Encrypted optical fiber tag based on encoded fiber Bragg grating array

Optical fibers are typically used in telecommunications services for data transmission,where the use of fiber tags is essential to distinguish between the different transmission fibers or channels and thus ensure the working functionality of the communication system.Traditional physical entity marking methods for fiber labeling are bulky,easily confused,and,most importantly,the label information can be accessed easily by all potential users.This work proposes an encrypted optical fiber tag based on an encoded fiber Bragg grating(FBG)array that is fabricated using a point-by-point femtosecond laser pulse chain inscription method.Gratings with different resonant wavelengths and reflectivities are realized by adjusting the grating period and the refractive index modulations.It is demonstrated that a binary data sequence carried by a fiber tag can be inscribed into the fiber core in the form of an FBG array,and the tag data can be encrypted through appropriate design of the spatial distributions of the FBGs with various reflection wavelengths and reflectivities.The proposed fiber tag technology can be used for applications in port identification,encrypted data storage,and transmission in fiber networks.

Review of femtosecond laser fabricated optical fiber high temperature sensors [Invited]

The femtosecond laser has been an efficient tool for optical fiber high temperature sensor construction.Here,we review the progress of optical fiber high temperature sensors based on femtosecond laser fabricated fiber gratings and various types of fiber in-line interferometers in silica fibers and sapphire fibers.

Automated synthesis of gadopentetate dimeglumine through solid-liquid reaction in femtosecond laser fabricated microfluidic chips

Despite the continuously increased requirement on automated synthesis of medicines for distributed manufacturing and personal care, it remains a challenge to realize automated synthesis which requires solid-liquid phase reactions. In this work, we demonstrated an automated solid-liquid synthesis for gadopentetate dimeglumine, the most widely used magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) contrast agent. The high-efficiency reaction was performed in a 3D microfluidic chip which was fabricated by femtosecond laser micromachining. The structure of the chip realized 3D shear flow which was essential for highly efficient mixing and movement of the solid-liquid mixtures. Ultraviolet visible(UV-vis) spectrometer was employed for in-line analysis to help automation of this system. Comparing with the round-bottom flask system, this synthetic system showed significantly higher reaction rate, indicating the advantage of the3D microfluidic technology in micro chemical engineering.

Microfiber Bragg Grating for Temperature and Strain Sensing Applications

Fiber Bragg grating is inscribed on microfiber with femtosecond laser pulses irradiation. The microfiber is fabricated by stretching a section of single mode fiber over a flame. Periodic grooves are carved on the microfiber by the laser as have been observed experimentally. The microfiber Bragg grating is demonstrated for temperature and strain sensing, and the strain sensitivity is improved with decreased diameters of the microfibers.

Size-controlled flow synthesis of metal-organic frameworks crystals monitored by in-situ ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy

Size-controlled flow synthesis of nanoporous particles are of considerable interest for future industrial applications,however,is facing challenges due to lack of in-situ method for size-characterization in fluidic environment.We present that ultraviolet-visible(UV-vis)absorption spectroscopy can be integrated into a flow-synthesis system which was produced by femtosecond laser micro machining.The shift of the absorption peak position of the ex-situ and in-situ UV-vis spectra correlates to variation of size of porous metal-organic frameworks crystals.ZIF-67 crystals with a size in the range from 200 nm to1025 nm are fabricated with the assistance of tri-ethylamine under monitoring of in-situ UV-vis spectra.The ZIF-67 crystals are converted into nanoporous carbons particles with controlled sizes.These materials show size-dependent performance in Na-ion battery and size-independent performance in metal/H_(2)O seawater battery.