Chalcogens based glasses for IR fiber chemical sensors

Among chalcogens based glasses, a new composition has been studied in the system Te-As-Se. This glass is interesting for its good optical properties, especially in the mid-infrared region from 2 to 18 mum. Particularly, IR optical fibers have been elaborated and optimized with the aim of using them as evanescent wave chemical sensors. For this kind of applications, a special fiber design, with a tapered zone, is required. This can be achieved by two different routes. The application to the detection of several compounds, such as ethanol, has been studied. More recently, detection experiments of biological tissues have been successfully carried out. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.