Nonlinear optical properties of antimony-germanium-sulfur glasses at 1560 nm

Nonlinear (NL) optical properties of antimony-germanium-sulfur (Sb-Ge-S) glasses were investigated using laser pulses of 65 fs at 1560 nm. Samples having concentration ratio [S]/[Ge]=2.69 with different antimony concentrations were studied. Glasses with different oxidation states of Sb were investigated using the thermally managed Z -scan technique. The influence of the Sb oxidation state on the NL properties was evaluated. NL refraction indices of electronic origin, n (2)a parts per thousand 10(-13) cm(2)/W, two-orders of magnitude larger than for fused silica and NL absorption coefficients smaller than 0.55 cm/GW were measured. Appropriate figures-of-merit for photonic applications were determined.