High-purity chalcogenide glasses for fiber optics

• Published in: Inorganic materials 2009-12, Vol.45 (13), p.1439-1460
• Main Authors: Snopatin, G. E., Shiryaev, V. S., Plotnichenko, V. G., Dianov, E. M., Churbanov, M. F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chalcogenides; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Constraining; Fiber optics; Glass; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Inorganic Chemistry; Materials Science; Noise levels; Optical fibers; Production methods; Spectra
• ISSN: 0020-1685; 1608-3172
• DOI: 10.1134/S0020168509130019

The data on the present degree of purity of chalcogenide glasses for fiber optics, on their methods of production and on the properties, which are essential for their actual application, are generalized. The content of limiting impurities in the best samples of chalcogenide glasses is 10–100 ppb wt.; of heterophase inclusions with size of about 100 nm is less than 10 3 cm −3 . On the basis of chalcogenide glasses the multimode and single mode optical fibers are produced with technical and operation characteristics sufficient for a number of actual applications. The minimum optical losses of 12–14 dB/km at 3–5 µm are attained in the optical fiber from arsenic-sulfide glass. The level of losses in standard chalcogenide optical fibers is 50–300 dB/km in 2–9 µm spectral range. The factors, affecting the optical absorption of glasses and optical fibers, are analyzed, and the main directions in further development of chalcogenide glasses as the materials for fiber optics are considered.