Three-dimensional microstructuring of yttrium aluminum garnet crystals for laser active optofluidic applications

Identifier:  PC:418

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/PC418

Authors:  Kar, A.K.; Jaque, D.; Díaz, F.; Paterson, L.; Rodenas, A.; Choudhury, D.

Abstract:
We demonstrate three-dimensional microstructuring in a neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) crystal. Spatially well-defined hollow microstructures deeply embedded within the material are shown to result from the creation of a pre-damage state within the Nd:YAG crystal network that is validated using luminescence and Raman analyses of the structures. This opens up the potential of fabricating next-generation optofluidic devices in optical gain materials. D. Choudhury acknowledges the support from the Heriot-Watt University Life Sciences Interface Theme Scholarship. A. Rodenas acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación under the Programa de Movilidad de Recursos Humanos del Plan Nacional de I+D+i 2008/2011 for abroad postdoctoral researchers. D. Jaque thanks Fundación caja Madrid for financial support. This work was also supported by the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (Project S2009/MAT- 1756) and by the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia (MAT2010-16161). The authors wish to acknowledge UK EPSRC (grant number EP/G030227/1) for the IMRA femtosecond MOPA laser system. We thank Renishaw plc. for the gift of the inVia Reflex Leica Raman microscope.