Multi-core fiber–fed integral field spectrograph (MCIFU) – III: an ultrafast laser inscribed photonic reformatter and mask

Fraser A. Pike; Aurélien Benoit; David G. MacLachlan; Calum A. Ross; Robert J. Harris; Sebastiaan Y. Haffert; Itandehui Gris-Sánchez; Timothy A. Birks; Robert R. Thomson

doi:10.1117/12.2559197

13 December 2020 Multi-core fiber–fed integral field spectrograph (MCIFU) – III: an ultrafast laser inscribed photonic reformatter and mask

Fraser A. Pike, Aurélien Benoit, David G. MacLachlan, Calum A. Ross, Robert J. Harris, Sebastiaan Y. Haffert, Itandehui Gris-Sánchez, Timothy A. Birks, Robert R. Thomson

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11451, Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation IV; 1145166 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2559197
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2020, Online Only

Conference Poster

Abstract

We report on the conception and the fabrication of a 3D photonic reformatter of 73 waveguides and its associated opaque mask in a wide collaboration to develop a multi-core fiber-fed integral field spectrograph (MCIFU) centered on the Jband. The reformatter is a 3D structure that light from the input quasi-hexagonal multicore fiber is spread out by rearrangement to avoid individual core spectra overlapping when the light is dispersed. The reformatter is fabricated using ultrafast laser inscription (ULI) in a borosilicate glass of 20 mm length. Using a similar ULI process, a 73-hole mask was fabricated in silica glass that precisely matched the waveguides at the output of the reformatter. The output surface of the mask was coated with a 120 nm layer of chromium to block scattered light generated in the bulk material and enhance the signal-to-noise. All inscribed waveguides, characterized using a stable laser centered at 1310 nm from the multicore fiber to the output mask, present consistent single-mode output behavior with a maximum throughput exceeding 60%. Over the 73 cores, the average throughput was measured at 40%. First observations of the full MCIFU device during on-sky measurements have shown promising results to the potential of this novel fiber integral field unit.

Conference Presentation

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Fraser A. Pike, Aurélien Benoit, David G. MacLachlan, Calum A. Ross, Robert J. Harris, Sebastiaan Y. Haffert, Itandehui Gris-Sánchez, Timothy A. Birks, and Robert R. Thomson "Multi-core fiber–fed integral field spectrograph (MCIFU) – III: an ultrafast laser inscribed photonic reformatter and mask", Proc. SPIE 11451, Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation IV, 1145166 (13 December 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2559197

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