Tellurite And Fluorotellurite Glasses For Active And Passive

1. Introduction; MDO 5
times that of silica [13]. The performance of these materials in any device will be affected
by the optical loss of the glass due to extrinsic factors. As these novel compositions
cannot be prepared by vapour deposition routes [16], extrinsic absorption losses must be
reduced using more conventional methods.
The processing (melting and fibre drawing), thermal, optical, and surface properties of
these glasses were studied here. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to investigate
suitable compositions and processing routes of tellurite and fluorotellurite glasses for
future passive and active photonic devices and applications. The objectives were to:
• Characterise the properties of suitable tellurite and fluorotellurite glass
compositions for preform making and fibre drawing. Properties to include:
o characteristic temperatures,
o viscosity-temperature behaviour,
o thermal expansion coefficients,
o chemical durability, and
o refractive indices.
• Optimise the processing routes of glass preforms and fibre, to minimise extrinsic
losses, particularly OH.
• Fabricate suitable glasses into preforms and fibre, and characterise the fibre.