High speed laser induced refractive index change writing in optical materials

Abstract

A method for writing a desired phase change pattern in an optical polymeric material includes generating at least one pulsed laser beam output from a pulsed laser source, were the pulsed laser beam output has a laser beam cross sectional area with at least one cross sectional linear dimension of at least 5 mm; exposing the optical polymeric material to the pulsed laser beam output simultaneously over at least a portion of the optical polymeric material having at least one linear dimension of at least 5 mm; and controlling an intensity of the simultaneous exposure of the pulsed laser beam output over the at least a portion of the optical polymeric material to obtain an energy profile within the optical polymeric material above a nonlinear absorption threshold of the optical material and below a breakdown threshold of the optical polymeric material, and to obtain a desired change in refractive index in the at least a portion of the optical polymeric material. The intensity of the simultaneous exposure of the pulsed laser beam output may be differentially modulating over the at least a portion of the optical polymeric material to obtain a modulated energy profile within the optical polymeric material including at least some energy profile portions above a nonlinear absorption threshold of the optical material and all of the energy profile below a breakdown threshold of the optical polymeric material at which significant light scattering or absorption degrades the intended performance of the optical polymeric material, and obtaining a desired modulated change in refractive index in the simultaneously exposed portion of the optical polymeric material.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.