Waveguide fabrication by a femtosecond laser oscillator and optical characterization at 1.5 micron

Optical waveguide writing with femtosecond laser pulses is rapidly becoming a valid alternative to standard fabrication techniques, due to its simplicity, flexibility and 3D structuring capabilities. In this paper we report on the fabrication by a stretched-cavity Ti:sapphire oscillator of optical waveguides and on their optical characterization. Operation of these waveguides at 1.5 micron wavelength is demonstrated in two commercial glasses: Corning 0211, and the previously unexplored Schott IOG10. We propose for the first time the use of the digital holography microscopy (DHM) technique for an accurate refractive index profile measurement in this kind of structures.