Ridge waveguides in Nd:ABC 3 O 7 disordered crystals produced by swift C 5+ ion irradiation and precise diamond dicing: Broad band guidance and spectroscopic properties

Optical ridge waveguides have been manufactured in the crystals of Nd:SrLaGa3O7 and Nd:SrGdGa3O7 by combining techniques of swift carbon ion irradiation with precise diamond blade dicing. The guiding properties of the waveguides are investigated at broadband (at wavelength of 633nm, 1064nm, and 4µm). After annealing treatment at 200°C for 1h, the propagation losses of ridge waveguides could be reduced to as low as 1dB/cm. The confocal microfluorescence emission spectra confirm that the fluorescence properties of Nd3+ ions are almost unchanged after the ion irradiation processing, showing promising potentials as application of miniature light sources in integrated optics.