Post-processing ZnSe optical fibers with a micro-chemical vapor transport technique
Abstract
Polycrystalline zinc selenide optical fibers and fiber lasers are expected to provide powerful capabilities for infrared waveguiding and laser technology. High pressure chemical vapor deposition, which is the only technique currently capable of producing zinc selenide optical fibers, leaves a geometric imperfection in the form of a central pore which is detrimental to mode quality. Chemical vapor transport with large temperature and pressure gradients not only fills this central pore but also encourages polycrystalline grain growth. Increased grain size and a reduction in defects such as twinning are demonstrated with transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, supporting that high-quality material is produced from this method. Finally, the mode structure of the waveguide is improved allowing most of the guided optical intensity to be centrally positioned in the fiber core. Loss as low as 0.22 dB/cm at 1908nm is demonstrated as a result of the material improvement.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 10, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1364/ome.404700
Entities
People
- Alex Hendrickson
- Carly J. Mathewson
- Gary Cook
- James P. Krug
- John V Badding
- Justin R. Sparks
- Michael G Coco
- Pier J A Sazio
- Sean A. McDaniel
- Stephen C. Aro
- Venkatraman Gopalan
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory