Proton or helium ion beam written channel waveguides in Nd:YAG ceramics

We report on the fabrication of channel waveguides in Nd:YAG ceramics, using either focused proton beam writing (PBW) or He beam writing (HeBW) techniques. Energies of ions used in the writing process were at 1 MeV and 2 MeV, respectively, with different writing fluence. High quality channel waveguides were produced in both H+ and He+ implanted regions. Characteristics of the waveguides were explored, and refractive index distribution of the waveguide was reconstructed.