Mid-infrared supercontinuum covering 2.0-16 μm in a low-loss telluride single-mode fiber

A mid-infrared (MIR) supercontinuum (SC) has been demonstrated in a low-loss telluride glass fiber. The doublecladding fiber, fabricated using a novel extrusion method, exhibits excellent transmission at 8-14 mu m: < 10 dB/m in the range of 8-13.5 mu m and 6 dB/m at 11 mu m. Launched intense ultrashort pulsed with a central wavelength of 7 mu m, the step-index fiber generates a MIR SC spanning from similar to 2.0 mu m to 16 mu m, for a 40-dB spectral flatness. This is a fresh experimental demonstration to reveal that telluride glass fiber can emit across the all MIR molecular fingerprint region, which is of key importance for applications such as diagnostics, gas sensing, and greenhouse CO2 detection.