SnO2 nanoparticles in silica: Nanosized tools for femtosecond-laser machining of refractive index patterns

We show that SnO2 nanoclusters in silica interact with ultrashort infrared laser pulses focused inside the material generating a hydrostatic compression and photoelastic response of the surrounding glass. This effect, together with the laser-induced nanocluster amorphization, gives rise to positive or negative refractive-index changes, up to 10−2, depending on the beam-power density. This result points out a wide tuning of the refractive index patterns obtainable in silica-based optical technology.

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