Microstructuration of nonlinear optical materials: methodologies, characterization, and applications

Femtosecond laser pulses have been successfully used for the microstructuring of diverse materials by ultrafast laser ablation. In particular, the fabrication of diffraction gratings on the surface of different materials using this technique is an attractive field of research. The fabrication of these diffractive elements on the surface of nonlinear optical materials is immensely attractive for the development of technological applications. So that, nonlinear optical materials are presently an attractive targets for ultrafast lasers to enhance the nonlinear behavior of these materials. We discuss the results based on the fabrication of 1D and 2D microstructures on the surface of the nonlinear optical materials such as KTiOPO4, RbTiOPO4, by ultrafast laser ablation and LiNbO3 by selective chemical etching. The linear and nonlinear diffraction properties as well as the structural modifications of these materials were analyzed in detail. The possible application of these microstructures has been explored for the development of RGBY laser phosphor displays by embedding luminescent nanoparticles into microstructures inscribed on the surface of nonlinear optical materials. In this way, multicolor light emissions can also be controlled spatially at the micro-meter scale.