Recent results on photonic devices made by laser writing: 3D 3T near IR waveguides, mid-IR spectrometers and electro-optic beam combiners

Direct laser writing is a powerful technique for the development of astrophotonic devices, namely by allowing 3D structuring of waveguides and structures. One of the main interests is the possibility to avoid in-plane crossings of waveguides that can induce losses and crosstalk in future multi-telescope beam combiners. We will present our results in 3D three telescope beam combiners in the near infrared, that allow for phase closure studies. Besides, laser writing can be used to inscribe a grating over long distances along the waveguide direction. This can be used as an on-chip diffraction grating or as a way to sample a stationary wave that can be obtained in the waveguide. Thus, integrated optics spectrometers based on the SWIFTS concept (stationary wave integrated Fourier transform spectrometer) have been realized and characterized in the near and mid infrared using commercial chalcogenide glasses. Finally, we will also present our results on laser writing on electro-optic materials, that allow to obtain waveguides and beam combiners that can be phase-modulated using electrodes. We have focused our work on two well-known materials: Lithium Niobate, that allows for TM waveguides and has a high electro-optical coefficient, and BGO, that has a lower coefficient, but presents the advantage of being isotropic, guiding both TE and TM polarizations identically.