Crystallization of GeO 2 –SiO 2 glass by poling with ArF-laser excitation

We report on crystallization of 15.7GeO2·84.3SiO2 (in mol.%) glass by poling with ArF-laser excitation. The UV intensity was 100mJ/cm2/pulse, and the number of shots was 104. The crystallites that were observed in the glass were approximately 15–20 µm in diameter. The crystallization feature was dependent on the poling electric field, showing a threshold field of ?0.5×105 V/cm, beyond which crystallization occurred.