Robert Thomson’s expertise primarily lie in the technology and applications of ultrafast laser inscription (ULI), a laser manufacturing technique that utilises the nonlinear absorption of sub-bandgap ultrashort laser pulses to locally modify the properties (e.g. refractive index and chemical etch-rate) of transparent dielectrics. To date, most my research has been focused on using ULI to develop novel optical waveguide devices (e.g. 3D –fan-outs and “photonic lanterns”), but I am also interested in using ULI to fabricate other structures, such as free-form optics and new types of volume grating.
+44 (0)131 451 3291
David Brewster Building, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS
© EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Laser-Based Production Processes