Ridge waveguides in Nd:ABC3O7 disordered crystals produced by swift C5+ 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 633 nm, 1064 nm, and 4 µm). After annealing treatment at 200 °C for 1 h, the propagation losses of ridge waveguides could be reduced to as low as 1 dB/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.