Rare earth soluble telluride glasses

US6015765A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force · US

Inventors

• Barry B. Harbison · Dunkirk, US
• Jasbinder S. Sanghera · Greenbelt, US
• L. Brandon Shaw · Salem, US
• Ishwar D. Aggarwal · Waxhaw, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 24, 1997
• Grant date: Jan 18, 2000
• Expiry date: Dec 24, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C03C3/323
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A telluride glass with glass transition temperature above 150.degree. C., fference between the crystallization temperature and the glass transition temperature of above 200.degree. C., and extended transmission in the infrared region of radiation of up to 20 microns having, on mol basis, 20-60% tellurium, 10-50% arsenic, 4-35% germanium, 0.5-15% gallium, up to 15% iodine, and up to 30% selenium. All or part of the gallium can be replaced with indium and the glass can contain up to 5%, based on the weight of the glass components, of a rare earth ion to render the glass fluorescent. Optical fibers drawn from these glasses have shown mid infrared fluorescence and may have as a bright source of IR light.