YAG laser-induced crystalline dot patterning in samarium tellurite glasses

A CW YAG laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm and with a power of 1 W has been used to irradiate samarium tellurite glasses with the compositions of 10RO·10Sm2O3·80TeO2 (R=Mg, Ba) at room temperature for 30–60 s. It is found from polarized optical microscopy and from X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses that crystalline dot patterns with sharp refractive index changes are formed by laser irradiation. The diameters of the spherical dots in the glasses with BaO and MgO are about 50 and 150 μm, respectively. It has been proposed that the crystallization of a nanocrystalline Sm2Te6O15 phase is induced through the absorption of irradiated YAG laser by the Sm3+ ions. This is the first finding of crystalline dot patterning induced by infrared CW YAG laser irradiation in glass.