Thermally Resilient Planar Waveguides in Novel nc-YSZ Transparent Ceramic by fs Laser Pulses

We report on thermally resilient planar waveguides fabricated nc-YSZ by direct fs-laser inscription in transparent nc-yttria stabilized zirconia (nc-YSZ) polycrystalline ceramic. The consisted of rectangular sections (4.5 × 2 mm ) the surface sample. Optical characterization at 633 and 810 nm was performed. estimate a laser-induced refractive index contrast 10 –4 . Post-waveguide-fabrication thermal annealing treatments 750°C for 24 h were carried out to test resilience further reduce waveguide losses. Both micro-Raman spectroscopy XPS revealed unmodified lattice steady chemical features, which are consistent with resilience. Our results suggest promising potential use harsh high temperature demanding photonic environments.