Patent ID: 8818160

Claim:
An IR supercontinuum source for generating light over an IR spectral band having an upper edge of at least 3.5 microns, comprising: a supercontinuum fiber having a core having an optical non-linearity sufficient for supercontinuum generation, said core formed of a heavy metal oxide glass comprising a network former of 45 to 90 mole percent of an oxide formed from Tellurium (Te), Lead (Pb), Tantalum (Ta), Bismuth (Bi), Gallium (Ga), Antimony (Sb), Arsenic (As), or combinations thereof, a glass intermediate or modifier of 0.2 to 45 mole percent of an oxide formed from Lanthanum (La), Thallium (Tl), Yttrium (Y), Tantalum (Ta), Bismuth (Bi), Gallium (Ga), Antimony (Sb), Arsenic (As), Titanium (Ti), Zirconium (Zr), Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca), Strontium (Sr), Barium (Ba), Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb) or Cadmium (Cd) or combinations thereof, and a non-zero amount of halide of less than 0.5 mole percent, wherein said network former, intermediate or modifier, and any said halide or any other glass constituent of at least 0.2 mole percent each have an absorption wavelength corresponding to an energy of the third phonon peak that is approximately at or longer than the upper edge of the IR spectral band, wherein said heavy metal oxide glass is substantially free comprising less than 0.1 mole percent of Hydroxide (OH—), said glass exhibiting an optical loss of less than 2 dB/m from 0.6 microns to 4.5 microns; a pump configured to produce an optical pulsed pump signal; and a coupler that couples the pulsed pump signal to the supercontinuum fiber, said supercontinuum fiber configured to propagate the pulsed pump signal to interact nonlinearly with the supercontinuum fiber core to generate supercontinuum light that spans the IR spectral band.