With different interactions between material and femtosecond lasers, two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) waveguide couplers, whose separation distances are fabricated in z-cut lithium niobate crystal by femtosecond laser writing, are reported. Experimentally and numerically, it is shown from results that the guidance is only propagating along TM polarization due to the Type I modification and holds equal splitting ratios, which are the same as power splitters at 632.8 nm. The propagation losses of 2D and 3D waveguide couplers exhibit better transmission properties than those of the previously reported Type I Y-junction waveguide splitters.

Explosive growth in demand for data traffic has prompted exploration of the spatial dimension of light waves, which provides a degree of freedom to expand data transmission capacity. Various techniques based on bulky optical devices have been proposed to tailor light waves in the spatial dimension. However, their inherent large size, extra loss, and precise alignment requirements make these techniques relatively difficult to implement in a compact and flexible way. In contrast, three-dimensional (3D) photonic chips with compact size and low loss provide a promising miniaturized candidate for tailoring light in the spatial dimension. Significantly, they are attractive for chip-assisted short-distance spatial mode optical interconnects that are challenging to bulky optics. Here, we propose and fabricate femtosecond laser-inscribed 3D photonic chips to tailor orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes in the spatial dimension. Various functions on the platform of 3D photonic chips are experimentally demonstrated, including the generation, (de)multiplexing, and exchange of OAM modes. Moreover, chip-chip and chip–fiber–chip short-distance optical interconnects using OAM modes are demonstrated in the experiment with favorable performance. This work paves the way to flexibly tailor light waves on 3D photonic chips and offers a compact solution for versatile optical interconnects and other emerging applications with spatial modes.

Femtosecond laser inscription or writing has been recognized as a powerful technique to engineer various materials toward a number of applications. By efficient modification of refractive indices of dielectric crystals, optical waveguides with diverse configurations have been produced by femtosecond laser writing. The waveguiding properties depend not only on the parameters of the laser writing but also on the nature of the crystals. The mode profile tailoring and polarization engineering are realizable by selecting appropriate fabrication conditions. In addition, regardless of the complexity of crystal refractive index changes induced by ultrafast pulses, several three-dimensional geometries have been designed and implemented that are useful for the fabrication of laser-written photonic chips. Some intriguing devices, e.g., waveguide lasers, wavelength converters, and quantum memories, have been made, exhibiting potential for applications in various areas. Our work gives a concise review of the femtosecond laser-inscribed waveguides in dielectric crystals and focuses on the recent advances of this research area, including the fundamentals, fabrication, and selected photonic applications.