Recent Research Progress on Ultrafast Laser-Induced Selective Crystallization in Glasses

Recent development on optical quantum technology requires a technology of creating advanced functional structures inside all-inorganic transparent media. Utilizing the ultrafast laser-matter interaction to selectively modify the glass matrix and quickly produce micro-crystalline structures with different functions undoubtedly provides an important approach for manufacturing novel photonic elements. This review introduced the basic principles of ultrafast laser inducing selective crystallization (ULISC), and discussed the corresponding laser parameters and material characteristics required by the technology. The performances of the ULISC and some conventional methods were compared. The phenomena, mechanisms, and applications of ultrafast laser inducing crystallite structures in different types of glasses were analyzed, i.e., the latest achievements in cutting-edge fields like ultrafast laser-induced nonlinear crystals, crystalline nanogratings, and quantum dots. In addition, the prospect of the ULISC technology was also given.