Chalcogenide glass layers in silica photonic crystal fibers

We report a novel approach for deposition of amorphous chalcogenide glass films inside the cylindrical air channels of photonic crystal fiber (PCF). In particular, we demonstrate the formation of nanocolloidal solution-based As2S3 films inside the air channels of PCFs of different glass-solvent concentrations for two fibers with cladding-hole diameter 3.5 and 1.3 mu m. Scanning electron microscopy is used to observe the formed chalcogenide layers and Raman scattering is employed to verify the existence and the structural features of the amorphous As2S3 layers. Optical transmission measurements reveal strong photonic bandgaps over a range covering visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The transmittance spectra and the corresponding losses were recorded in the wavelength range 500-1750 nm. The main advantage of the proposed technique is the simplicity of the deposition of amorphous chalcogenide layers inside the holes of PCF and constitutes an efficient route to the development of fiber-based devices combined with sophisticated glasses for supercontinuum generation as well as other non-linear applications. (c) 2012 Optical Society of America