Crystal-in-glass architecture engineering: writing, erasing and rewriting by a femtosecond laser beam

Abstract

We report a technique to erase a defective or undesirable laser-grown crystal-in-glass architecture, or a given part inside the glass, through a laser-induced space-selective melting process using an example of LaBGeO₅ crystalline tracks in lanthanum borogermanate glass. We have also shown that it is possible to rewrite the crystalline tracks in re-melted glass.