L’arrivée des sources lasers ultracourtes a bouleversé le domaine de la micro-structuration pour l’optique intégrée. Le plus souvent, le procédé se résume à l’utilisation d’une lentille de focalisation sur le trajet du faisceau laser. Cette méthode souffre de limitations intrinsèques sur la vitesse d’usinage et sur le spectre des modifications accessibles. Nous montrons dans ce mémoire que la mise en forme spatio-temporelle des impulsions lasers ultracourtes répond efficacement à ces défis. En particulier, nous indiquons la possibilité de multiplier le nombre de spots lasers pour la fabrication simultanée de plusieurs composants optiques, en répondant ainsi au besoin de rapidité. Cette avancée majeure est illustrée par la photoinscription en parallèle de guides, de diviseurs, de coupleurs ainsi que de démultiplexeurs de lumière en 2Det 3D dans la silice. Il est également reporté ici que le domaine de photoinscription peut être élargi à la focalisation profonde dans les matériaux grâce à la modulation du front d’onde ainsi que la mise en forme temporelle de l’impulsion permettant de préserver la densité d’énergie déposée. Le couplage d’énergie vers le matériau transparent en fonction de divers profils d’impulsions est étudié à l’échelle femtoseconde. La caractérisation du gaz d’électrons libres ainsi que de l’onde de pression nous permet de mettre en évidence l’efficacité des impulsions picosecondes `a déposer l’énergie de manière plus confinée dans différents verres. Ces études sont conduites sur un système de microscopie de type pompe-sonde permettant de mettre en forme l’irradiation pompe. / In the past decade, ultrashort laser sources have had a decisive impact on material processing for photonic applications. The technique is usually restricted to the elemental association of an ultrashort source with a focusing lens. It is thus limited in the achievable bulk modifications. Accompanying studies of material modifications in space and time, we propose here that automated spatio-temporal tailoring of the laser pulses is an efficient manner to overcome these limitations. More precisely, we demonstrate the generation of multiple processing foci for synchronous photomachining of multiple devices in the bulk. Thus, we report on the parallel photowriting of waveguides, light couplers, light dividers in 2D/3D in fused silica glass. We show that the domain of photowriting can be extended to deep focusing. We indicate that this can be achieved by wavefront shaping or temporal profile tailoring conducted by an evolutionary optimization loop. We also have unveiled a singular interaction regime where regular structuring takes place before the focal region. For the first time, the dynamics of the energy coupling to the glassy matrix is evaluated for various temporal pulse profiles. Enhanced energy confinement in the case of picosecond pulses is confirmed by characterization of the transient electronic gas and of the subsequent pressure. These pump-probe studies were carried out with a self-build time-resolved microscopy system with temporally shaped pump irradiation. We also developed a new method based on the Drude model to differentiate the electronic and matrix contributions to the contrast of the microscopy images.

This thesis explores a novel methodology to fabricate three dimensional (3D) metal-dielectric structures, and two dimensional (2D) graphite layers for emerging metamaterials and graphene applications. The investigations we report here go beyond the limitations of conventional fabrication techniques that require multiple post-processing steps and/or are restricted to fabrication in two dimensions. Our method combines photoreduction mechanism with an ultrafast laser direct writing process in innovative ways. This study aims to open the doors to new ways of manufacturing nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices. With an introductory analysis on how the various laser and chemical components affect the fabrication mechanism, this dissertation is divided into three sections. / Engineering and Applied Sciences

Chalcogenide glasses are highly nonlinear optical materials which can be used for fabricating active and passive photonic devices. This thesis work deals with the fabrication of buried, three dimensional, channel waveguides in chalcogenide glasses, using ultrafast laser inscription technique. The femtosecond laser pulses are focused into rare earth ions doped and undoped chalcogenide glasses, few hundred microns below from the surface to modify the physical properties such as refractive index, density, etc. These changes are made use in the fabrication of active and passive photonic waveguides which have applications in integrated optics. The first chapter provides an introduction to the fundamental aspects of femtosecond laser inscription, laser interaction with matter and chalcogenide glasses for photonic applications. The advantages and applications of chalcogenide glasses are also described. Motivation and overview of the present thesis work have been discussed at the end. The methods of chalcogenide glass preparation, waveguide fabrication and characterization of the glasses investigated are described in the second chapter. Also, the details of the experiments undertaken, namely, loss (passive insertion loss) and gain measurements (active) and nanoindentation studies are outlined. Chapter three presents a study on the effect of net fluence on waveguide formation. A heat diffusion model has been used to solve the waveguide cross-section. The waveguide formation in GeGaS chalcogenide glasses using the ultrafast laser, has been analyzed in the light of a finite element thermal diffusion model. The relation between the net fluence and waveguide cross section diameter has been verified using the experimentally measured properties and theoretically predicted values. Chapter four presents a study on waveguide fabrication on Er doped Chalcogenide glass. The active and passive characterization is done and the optimal waveguide fabrication parameters are given, along with gain properties for Er doped GeGaS glass. A C-band waveguide amplifier has been demonstrated on Chalcogenide glasses using ultrafast laser inscription technique. A study on the mechanical properties of the waveguide, undertaken using the nanoindentation technique, is presented in the fifth chapter. This work brings out the close relation between the change in mechanical properties such as elastic modulus and hardness of the material under the irradiation of ultrafast laser after the waveguide formation. Also, a threshold value of the modulus and hardness for characterizing the modes of the waveguide is suggested. Finally, the chapter six provides a summary of work undertaken and also discusses the future work to be carried out.

Optoelectronics in the deep-ultraviolet (DUV) regime is still a growing research field that requires significant effort to understand the material properties and optimize the device structures to realize efficient DUV devices. Aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) is perhaps the most studied semiconductor to replace the environmentally hazardous mercury lamps; however, the external quantum efficiency of AlGaN based DUV devices is insufficient to replace the existing old-fashioned mercury UV lamps. Despite the tunability in the bandgap of AlGaN, the excessive strain accumulation associated with increased alloying of Al in AlGaN and the poor dopant activation due to the relatively large ionization energy of the donors and acceptors are not favorable for realizing efficient DUV emitters. In addition, the crossover among the light hole, heavy hole and split-off bands in the valance band for Al-rich AlGaN suppresses the transverse-electric polarization, which further worsens the external quantum efficiency. Furthermore, for DUV photodetection, commercially available Si-photodetectors suffer from poor responsivity for wavelengths shorter than 400 nm in contrast to the visible spectrum. Hence, the-state-of-art photodetectors in the DUV regime also need a significant upgrade, particularly for high-speed applications. Firstly, we utilized the high quantum confinement in plasma-assisted MBE grown ultrathin GaN QDisks to realize DUV (λ ≈ 260 nm) emission using a binary compound (GaN) in contrast to conventionally used ternary compound (AlGaN). More importantly, we experimentally demonstrated TE-dominant DUV emission, unlike Al-rich AlGaN, illustrating a unique pathway for realizing efficient DUV vertical emitters. Secondly, inspired by the light manipulation technique practiced in nature, we presented iridocytes on giant clams (Tridacna maxima), known for their symbiotic relationship with algae as a color downconverting material for DUV photodetection. Investigating the structural and optical properties of iridocytes found in Tridacna maxima, we established a robust UV communication allowing the data transfer rate of 100 Mbit/s within the forward error correction limit for modulated 375 nm-laser diode. Using a similar matrix implemented to 375 nm-laser, with high-power UV-C LED (λ ≈ 278 nm), we could establish an optical wireless communication that could allow a data-transmission rate of tens of Mbit/s within the forward error correction limit.

No description available.

There is increasing interest in the generation of very short laser pulses, even down to attosecond (10-18 s) durations. Laser systems with femtosecond pulse durations are needed for these applications. For many of these applications, positioning of the maximum electric field within the pulse envelope can affect the outcome. The peak of the electric field relative to the peak of the pulse is called the Carrier Envelope Phase (CEP). Controlling the position of the electric field becomes more important when pulse duration approaches single-cycle. This thesis focuses on the stabilization of a quasi-single-cycle laser facility. Improvements to this already-established laser facility, HERACLES (High Energy, Repetition rate Adjustable, Carrier-Locked-to-Envelope System) described in this thesis include a stabilized pump line and the improvement in CEP stabilization electronics. HERACLES is built upon an Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse Amplification (OPCPA) architecture. This architecture uses Optical Parametric Amplification (OPA) as the gain material to increase the output energy of the system. OPA relies on a nonlinear process to generate high gain (106 ) with ultra-wide bandwidth. Instabilities in the OPA driving pump energy can create dynamically fluctuations in the final OPCPA output energy. To reduce these fluctuations two key upgrades were implemented on the pump beam. Both were major improvements in the stability. Firstly, an improved regenerative amplifier design reduced beam pointing fluctuations. Secondly, the addition of a pump monitoring system with feedback-control eliminated long-term power drifts. Both enhanced the OPA pulse-to-pulse and long-term stability. iv To improve the stability in measuring CEP drifts, modification of the feedback electronics was needed. The modification consisted of integrating noise reduction electronics. This novel noise reducer uses a similar process to a super-heterodyne receiver. The noise reducer resulted in 60 dB reduction of out-of-band noise. This led to increased signal quality with cleaner amplification of weaker signals. The enhanced signal quality led to more reliable long-term locking. The synthetically increased signal-to-noise ratio allows locking of the CEP frequency below the typically requirements. This integration allows relaxed constraints on the laser systems. The optics and electronics of a high-power, quasi-single cycle laser facility were improved. This thesis included the stabilization of the pump line and the stabilization of the CEP. This work allows for new long-duration experiments.

Ultrafast lasers are valuable research and manufacturing tools. The ultrashort pulse duration is comparable to electron-lattice relaxation times, yielding unique interactions with matter, particularly nonlinear absorption, melting, and ablation. The field of ultrafast laser manufacturing is rapidly evolving with advances in related laser technologies. The applications of ultrashort pulse lasers in additive manufacturing aim to fill gaps left by conventional techniques especially on the nano- and micro-scale. Concurrently, uptake of ultrafast fiber lasers for micromachining has increased, and may replace the Ti:Sapphire laser as the ultrafast laser of choice. Both additive and subtractive manufacturing are accomplished with ultrafast lasers which presents the possibility of hybrid, all-in-one devices using a single laser source. As one such combination of laser techniques, ultrashort pulse surface modification of additively manufactured metals is an area of limited investigation. This thesis aims to address the ever-changing landscape of ultrafast laser manufacturing by 1) reviewing ultrafast laser additive manufacturing techniques and recent advancements 2) comparing the design, operation, and micromachining potential of a commercial ultrafast Ti:Sapphire and ultrafast fiber laser, and 3) investigating femtosecond ablation of as-printed additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V at a range of parameters to test the feasibility of surface feature control. Ultrafast laser additive manufacturing is still in its infancy with mostly niche applications. The ultrafast fiber laser architecture is found to deliver a platform that is easier to operate and maintain and has superior micromachining throughput relative to Ti:Sapphire lasers. In our experimental work, five main surface morphologies are obtained by femtosecond ablation of a rough Ti-6Al-4V surface: laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS), undulating grooves, micro-ripples, grooves, and micro-cavities. Transitions between ablation regimes and evolutions of the surface under increasing pulse energy and number of pulses are observed. These patterns allow for control over the surface geometry without the need for post-printing polishing. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Ultrafast pulsed lasers of <10 picoseconds pulse duration are commonly used to modify, melt, or ablate materials. As an important research and manufacturing tool, ultrafast lasers and techniques have seen great change in the past two decades. Additive manufacturing has emerged as an area in which ultrafast lasers are becoming increasingly prevalent. To make sense of this continuously evolving landscape, this thesis 1) reviews ultrafast laser additive manufacturing techniques, applications, and advances towards industrial use and commercialisation, 2) compares the setup, operability, and characteristics for two ultrafast laser designs, and 3) investigates the surfaces produced by ultrafast laser irradiation of an additively manufactured titanium alloy part. The surface morphologies that are produced are categorised into five main patterns: laser-induced periodic surface structures, undulating grooves, micro-ripples, grooves, and micro-cavities. Each is a distinct pattern that may allow for tuning of the surface properties with respect to the wettability and biocompatibility.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Please refer to full text to view abstract.