Fabrication, characterization and applications of infrared transparent chalcogenide fibers

Chalcogenide glasses constitute the only class of amorphous materials with transparency extended far into the infrared regime down to 25 microns [1]. Their base constituent atoms are S, Se and Te combined with neighboring elements such as Ge, As, Sb, Ga or I. The compositional landscape available to produce these glasses is therefore very large and offers a wide potential for optimizing the development of glass fibers. However, identifying the glass compositions which combine the right optical properties with optimal rheological properties require significant structural engineering. Here we review strategies for obtaining glasses with wide optical transparencies and sufficiently high glass forming ability to produce complex optical elements such as single mode fibers. These fibers find applications in many infrared technology including thermal imaging, laser guiding and most importantly, vibrational sensing of chemical and biomolecules [2].