Bending diamonds by femtosecond laser ablation

We present a new method based on femtosecond laser ablation for the fabrication of statically bent diamond crystals. Using this method, curvature radii of 1 m can easily be achieved, and the curvature obtained is very uniform. Since diamond is extremely tolerant to high radiation doses, partly due to its densely packed lattice, such bent crystals are optimal solutions for crystal-based collimation and/or extraction. Furthermore, using interlaced ablation on both sides, the technique opens for the possibility of constructing a crystalline undulator based on the best material known, to approach the enormous beam densities required for lasing operation of such a device.