Preparation and properties of Ga<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-Sb<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-Ag<sub>2</sub>S chalcogenide glasses and fibers
Authors: Mi Hao-Ting , Yang An-Ping , Huang Zi-Xuan , Tian Kang-Zhen , Li Yue-Bing , Ma Cheng , Liu Zi-Jun , Shen Xiang , Yang Zhi-Yong ,   Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Laser Materials and Devices, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China,   Hangzhou Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Hangzhou 311421, China,   Laboratory of Infrared Materials and Devices, Advanced Technology Research Institute, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
Published: December 2022

With the rapid development of infrared technology and the wide applications of infrared optical components, the demand for infrared optical materials has risen significantly. Chalcogenide glass has been considered as one of the most popular infrared optical materials because of its wide infrared transmission range, high refractive index, low phonon energy, good rheological properties, low cost, etc. In this work, a new type of Ga<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-Sb<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-Ag<sub>2</sub>S chalcogenide glass system is reported, and its glass forming domain is determined. The thermal stability and optical property, mid-infrared (MIR) emission of rare earth dopant, and fiber-forming property for the glasses are studied. The potential applications of the glasses in the MIR region are also evaluated. The experimental results show that the Ga<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-Sb<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-Ag<sub>2</sub>S system has a glass forming domain of ~10%–30% Ga<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>, ~60%–80% Sb<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub> and ~0–15% Ag<sub>2</sub>S (all in molar percentage). These glasses have a wide infrared transmission range of ~0.8–13.5 μm, relatively high linear refractive indices of~2.564–2.713 (at 10 μm), and relatviely large third-order nonlinear refractive indices of ~9.7×10<sup>–14</sup>–15.7×10<sup>–14</sup> cm<sup>2</sup>/W (at 1.55 μm). These excellent properties make the Ga<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-Sb<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-Ag<sub>2</sub>S glass promising material in the fields of infrared thermal imaging and nonlinear optics. Under the excitation of 1.32 µm laser, the rare earth dopant Dy<sup>3+</sup> shows strong 2.91 μm and 4.41 μm MIR emissions in the glass. According to the J-O theory, the three strength parameters (Ω<sub>2</sub>, Ω<sub>4</sub>, Ω<sub>6</sub>) of Dy<sup>3+</sup> in 0.05% weight of Dy<sup>3+</sup> doped 20Ga<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-75Sb<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-5Ag<sub>2</sub>S glass are 7.38×10<sup>–20</sup> cm<sup>2</sup>, 2.24×10<sup>–20</sup> cm<sup>2</sup> and 0.75×10<sup>–20</sup> cm<sup>2</sup>, respectively. The quantum efficiencies of the 2.91 μm and 4.41 μm emissions are calculated to be 76.6% and 70.8%, respectively, while the stimulated emission cross sections of those two bands are 1.27×10<sup>–20</sup> cm<sup>2</sup> and 1.43×10<sup>–20</sup> cm<sup>2</sup>, respectively. The fiber based on 20Ga<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-75Sb<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-5Ag<sub>2</sub>S: 0.05% Dy<sup>3+</sup> core glass and 20Ga<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-70Sb<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-10Ag<sub>2</sub>S cladding glass is fabricated by rod tube method. The fiber has good transmission performance in the 2–8 μm wavelength range, and the minimum loss is ~3.5 dB/m at 5.7 μm. The Dy<sup>3+</sup> ions show intense 2.93 μm and 4.45 μm MIR emissions in the fibers under 1.32 μm excitation. These results indicate that the Dy<sup>3+</sup> doped Ga<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-Sb<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub>-Ag<sub>2</sub>S glass fiber can be a promising candidate for MIR fiber laser medium.