Casting method for producing low-loss chalcogenide microstructured optical fibers

Abstract

We report significant advances in the fabrication of low loss chalcogenide microstructured optical fiber (MOF). This new method, consisting in molding the glass in a silica cast made of capillaries and capillary guides, allows the development of various designs of fibers, such as suspended core, large core or small core MOFs. After removing the cast in a hydrofluoric acid bath, the preform is drawn and the design is controlled using a system applying differential pressure in the holes. Fiber losses, which are the lowest recorded so far for selenium based MOFs, are equal to the material losses, meaning that the process has no effect on the glass quality.

Mid-infrared continuous-wave parametric amplification in chalcogenide microstructured fibers

“…The glass has an optical loss of 0.6 dB/m measured at 1.55 μm. Part of the GeAsSe glass was then molded to fabricate a preform with three hexagonal rings of air holes [27]. The preform was drawn into a cane with a 4 mm diameter.…”

Multi-milliwatt mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in a suspended core chalcogenide fiber

“…The fiber has been fabricated by the molding technique described in [29]. A SEM image of the fiber is shown in Fig.…”

Original designs of chalcogenide microstuctured optical fibers

“…A new technique, based on an "in-tube" casting of the glass preform, was implemented. This new technique permits to obtain fibers with losses less than 1 dB m −1 [12], quite similar to the glass losses before processing. At the beginning, all chalcogenide MOFs were solid-core MOFs.…”