Although diamond photonics has driven considerable interest and useful applications, as shown in frequency generation devices and single photon emitters, fundamental studies on the third-order optical nonlinearities of diamond are still scarce, stalling the development of an integrated platform for nonlinear and quantum optics. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to those studies by measuring the spectra of two-photon absorption coefficient (β) and the nonlinear index of refraction (n₂) of diamond using femtosecond laser pulses, in a wide spectral range. These measurements show the magnitude of β increasing from 0.07 to 0.23 cm/GW, as it approaches the bandgap energy, in the region from 3.18 to 4.77 eV (390–260 nm), whereas the n₂ varies from zero to 1.7 × 10⁻¹⁹ m²/W in the full measured range, from 0.83–4.77 eV (1500–260 nm). The experimental results are compared with theoretical models for nonlinear absorption and refraction in indirect gap semiconductors, indicating the two-photon absorption as the dominant effect in the dispersion of the third-order nonlinear susceptibility. These data, together with optical Kerr gate measurements, also provided here, are of foremost relevance to the understanding of ultrafast optical processes in diamond and its nonlinear optical properties.

Glasses containing metallic nanoparticles are promising materials for technological applications in optics and photonics. Although several methods are available to generate nanoparticles in glass, only femtosecond lasers allow controlling it three-dimensionally. In this direction, the present work investigates the generation of copper nanoparticles on the surface and in the bulk of a borosilicate glass by fs-laser irradiation. We verified the formation of copper nanoparticles, after heat treatment, by UV-Vis absorption, transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction. A preferential growth of copper nanoparticles was observed in the bottom of the irradiated region, which was attributed to self-focusing in the glass.

We have determined two-photon absorption and nonlinear refraction spectra of the 50BO_1.5 - (50-x)PbF₂ - xPbO glasses (with x = 25, 35, 50 cationic %) at the range of the 470 and 1550 nm. The replacement of fluor atoms by oxygen leads to an increase in the third-order susceptibility, due to the formation of non-bridging oxygens (NBO). The nonlinear index of refraction is one order of magnitude higher than the one for fused silica, and it increases almost twice for the sample with x = 50. This sample has also shown promising features for all-optical switching as well as for optical limiting.

The current demand for fabricating optical and photonic devices displaying high performance, using low-cost and time-saving methods, prompts femtosecond (fs)-laser processing as a promising methodology. High and low repetition femtosecond lasers enable surface and/or bulk modification of distinct materials, which can be used for applications ranging from optical waveguides to superhydrophobic surfaces. Herein, some fundamental aspects of fs-laser processing of materials, as well as the basics of their most common experimental apparatuses, are introduced. A survey of results on polymer fs-laser processing, resulting in 3D waveguides, electroluminescent structures and active hybrid-microstructures for luminescence or biological microenvironments is presented. Similarly, results of fs-laser processing on glasses, gold and silicon to produce waveguides containing metallic nanoparticles, analytical chemical sensors and surface with modified features, respectively, are also described. The complexity of fs-laser micromachining involves precise control of material properties, pushing ultrafast laser processing as an advanced technique for micro/nano devices.