  A first demonstration and complete characterization of mid-infrared
waveguides in diamond are reported in detail. Waveguides were designed for 2.4
um and 8.6 um waveguiding, with their group velocity dispersion was analyzed
using femtosecond pulses at 2.4 um wavelength propagated through the waveguide
and the bulk substrate. The total dispersion was found to be dominated by the
bulk material rather than the waveguide, and was on the range of 275 fs2/mm,
demonstrating that femtosecond laser written modifications in diamond introduce
negligible perturbations to the intrinsic material.
