TeO2-ZnO-La2O3 tellurite glass purification for mid-infrared optical fibers manufacturing

TeO2-ZnO-La2O3 (TZL) glasses are purified in order to enhance the optical fiber mid-infrared (mid-IR) transmission performances. Halide dehydrating reagents such as ZnF2 and LaF3 are employed and introduced during glass synthesis to capture and remove OH species from the matrix. Thermal, optical, physical and chemical characterizations are performed on bulk samples to determine the impact of the fluoride precursors on glass properties. Single-index optical fibers are then drawn and optical losses are measured in order to characterize their transmission performances with the ZnF2 and LaF3 addition. Finally, large and small core step-index fibers are manufactured with selected compositions, and low loss optical signal wave guiding is observed. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

In this study, TZL glasses were purified to enhance the mid-infrared transmission performances of optical fibers. Halide dehydrating reagents were used to remove OH species, and the impact of fluoride precursors on glass properties was investigated. The addition of ZnF2 and LaF3 improved the transmission performances of the fibers.