Optimized single-shot laser ablation of concave mirror templates on optical fibers

We realize mirror templates on the tips of optical fibers using a single-shot CO2 laser ablation procedure and perform a systematic study of the influence of the pulse power, pulse duration, and laser spot size on their geometry. This investigation provides new insights into CO2 laser ablation of optical fibers and should help improve current models. We notably find that the radius of curvature, depth, and diameter of the templates exhibit extrema as a function of the power and duration of the ablation pulse, and observe that compound convex-concave shapes can be obtained. We additionally identify regimes of ablation parameters that lead to mirror templates with favorable geometries for use in cavity quantum electrodynamics and optomechanics. (C) 2019 Optical Society of America