Fig. 3: Light-guiding performance of SPIM-WGs.

All images (LED, laser) have the same frame size of 30 × 30 µm. Scale bars are 10 µm. a Sets of waveguides were fabricated with different cross-section shapes and sizes. Classic single-scan, x-aligned, z-aligned waveguides were two waveguides per set, while twisted waveguides (twisted length of 1.4 mm) were four (two z-aligned input facet, two x-aligned input facet) per set. Cross-section images are included in Supplementary Fig. S3. b Comparison of propagation losses for classic single-scan, x-aligned, z-aligned and twisted waveguides. Each number presented in the figure is an average of two measured waveguides for single-scan, x-aligned, and z-aligned sets; an average of four waveguides for twisted sets. The fabrication speed was 8 mm/s. c Twisted waveguides’ propagation losses versus laser focal spot scanning speed. The cross-section size was 20 × 4 µm, twisted length was 1.4 mm, twisted angle was 90°. d Twisted waveguides propagation losses versus twisted region length. Cross-section size was 10 × 4 µm, laser scanning speed was 8 mm/s (sacrificing loss to gain fabrication efficiency), twisted angle was 90°. e Twisted waveguide propagation losses versus twisted angle. Cross-section size was 20 × 4 µm, laser scanning speed was 8 mm/s (sacrificing loss to reduce fabrication time), twisted length was 1.4 mm. f Demonstration of beam rotation by several sets of twisted waveguides with varying twisted angle. Left: LED transmission microscopic images of waveguide facet. Middle: measured 1550 nm laser-mode profile images. Right: diagrams of twisted SPIM-WGs with different angles