Controlling the Optical Characteristics of Laser-Induced Microstructures in Zinc Phosphate Glass Containing Silver

On the femtosecond laser-induced photochemistry in silver-containing oxide glasses: mechanisms, related optical and physico-chemical properties, and technological applications

“…Indeed, pioneer works have shown that surface nanogratings in silver-containing phosphate glasses can sustain silver cluster fluorescence and also nonlinear behavior with second-harmonic generation [49,87]. Further recent demonstrations have shown the concomitant existence of fluorescent silver species, silver plasmonic nanoparticles and form birefringence with phase shift and control of optical axis orientation with polarization [88,89]. Still, further research is needed to explore whether it is possible or not to control independently these distinct optical properties, which could open the route to up to 6D optical data storage.…”

Data on the femtosecond laser-induced formation of tracks in silver-containing zinc phosphate glass

“…Glass was obtained by a melt-quenching technique using high-purity precursors (AgNO 3 , ZnO, H 3 PO 4 ), which were mixed and melted at 1200 °C in a corundum crucible covered with the fused silica cap for 2 h. After that, glass melt was rapidly quenched in a preheated metal form and annealed at 325 °C for 4 h to relax mechanical stress. Detailed description of glass synthesis has been given elsewhere [1] , [2] . Composition of the glass batch was calculated for the production of 150 g glass block in order to achieve optically homogeneous glass free of striae.…”