Fabrication of Arsenic Sulfide Optical Fiber with Low Hydrogen Impurities |
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Authors: | Vinh Q. Nguyen Jas S. Sanghera Brian Cole Pablo Pureza Frederic H. Kung Ishwar D. Aggarwal |
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Affiliation: | Optical Science Division, Code 5606, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375-5000;Keopsys, Inc., Fairfax, Virginia 22030;University of Maryland Research Foundation, Greenbelt, Maryland 20770 |
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Abstract: | Arsenic sulfide glass optical fibers typically possess extrinsic absorption bands in the infrared wavelength region associated with residual hydrogen and oxygen related impurities, despite using purified precursors. We report a purification process based on the addition of tellurium tetrachloride (TeCl4) to the glass. During melting, the chlorine from TeCl4 reacts with the hydrogen impurities to produce volatile products (e.g., HCl) that can be removed by subsequent dynamic distillation. The processing conditions have been modified accordingly to produce optical fibers with significantly reduced loss due to hydrogen sulfide impurity content (1.5 dB/m). |
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Keywords: | fabrication arsenic/arsenic compounds fibers |
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