Planning methods and devices for precisely changing a refractive index

A planning device to generate control data for a control unit of a laser processing apparatus to change a refractive index in a processing zone of a transparent organic or inorganic material, the laser processing apparatus comprising:

• a laser device with a laser source that generates pulsed processing laser radiation;
• a focusing apparatus that focuses the pulsed processing laser radiation at a focus in the processing zone;
• a scanning apparatus that scans the focus of the pulsed processing laser radiation in the processing zone of the transparent organic or inorganic material;
• and
• an examination apparatus that detects examination radiation to characterize an actual behavior of an indicator structure in an examination zone using a detection apparatus,
• wherein the planning device comprises an interface that supplies data from the examination apparatus and an interface that transmits control data to the control unit of the laser processing apparatus, and wherein the planning device is configured:
• to record the actual behavior of the indicator structure in the examination zone arranged in an optical path downstream of the processing zone of the transparent organic or inorganic material transilluminated by the examination radiation,
• to define a target behavior of the indicator structure in the examination zone,
• to determine a change profile of the refractive index in the processing zone from a difference between the actual behavior and the target behavior of the indicator structure in the examination zone,
• to determine a scanning pattern of focal spots of the pulsed processing laser radiation for processing the transparent organic or inorganic material in the processing zone for implementing the change profile of the refractive index in the processing zone, and
• to establish the control data for the control unit of the laser processing apparatus therefrom,
• wherein
• the planning device is furthermore configured to, repeat iteratively at predetermined intervals during the processing of the transparent organic or inorganic material in the processing zone, supply data from the examination apparatus, the data describing the actual behavior of the indicator structure, and configured to transmit control data to the control unit of the laser processing apparatus, wherein most recently described behavior of the indicator structure in the examination zone is always adopted as new actual behavior of the indicator structure for the purposes of ascertaining the control data.