We report continuous wave $1.06\mu \mathrm{m}$ laser operation in an optical waveguide fabricated in a Nd:YAG ceramic by femtosecond laser writing. Single mode and stable laser oscillation have been achieved by using the natural Fresnel reflection for optical feedback. Output laser power in excess of $80\mathrm{mW}$ and a laser slope efficiency of 60% have been demonstrated.

We report the fabrication of single-mode buried channel waveguides for the whole mid-IR transparency range of chalcogenide sulphide glasses ($\lambda \le 11\mathrm{\mu m}$), by means of direct laser writing. We have explored the potential of this technology by fabricating a prototype three-dimensional three-beam combiner for future application in stellar interferometry that delivers a monochromatic interference visibility of 99.89% at 10.6 μm and an ultrahigh bandwidth (3–11 μm) interference visibility of 21.3%. These results demonstrate that it is possible to harness the whole transparency range offered by chalcogenide glasses on a single on-chip instrument by means of direct laser writing, a finding that may be of key significance in future technologies such as astrophotonics and biochemical sensing.

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We report high efficiency continuous wave laser oscillations at 1063.6 nm from an ultrafast laser written Nd³⁺:GdVO₄ channel waveguide under the 808 nm optical excitation. A record 17 mm·s⁻¹ writing speed was used while the low propagation loss of the waveguide (~0.5 dB·cm⁻¹) enabled laser performance with a threshold pump power as low as 52 mW and a near to quantum defect limited laser slope efficiency of 70%.