Optical and thermal characterization on micro-optical elements made by femtosecond laser writing

Femtosecond laser polymerization of photonic crystals (PhCs) and diffractive micro-optical elements which can be easily integrated into complex 3D geometries of micro-fluidic chips is analysed in IR spectral domain. Thermal properties of such 3D optical elements and patterns were investigated by thermal imaging, IR spectroscopy and a heat-wave method using absorption-heating with visible light. Thermal imaging allows a simple in situ judgement on a 3D fabrication quality of photonic crystals and is simpler compared with scanning electron imaging. Photonic stop gaps at IR spectral range were clearly observed and IR mapping at the specific spectral wavelength reveals spatial uniformity of PhCs. Potential to use IR imaging with spectral IR plasmonic filters for sensor applications is discussed.