Special glass materials for photonics applications

Sponsor: Czech Science Foundation

Principal investigator: Petr Kostka, Ph.D.

Co-principal investigator: Jiří Zavadil, Ph.D.

Members: Prof. Petar Gladkov, Ph.D.; Miloš Hayer, Ph.D.; František Kostka, Ph.D.; Vlastimil Matějec, Ph.D.; Ondřej Podrazký, Ph.D.; Olga Procházková, Ph.D.; Roman Yatskiv, Ph.D.; Karel Žďánský, Ph.D.

From: 2008-01-01

To: 2010-12-31

The project is concerned with the preparation and characterization of special glass systems, those doped with selected rare-earth (RE) elements and with drawing of optical fibres that effectively transmit or emit radiation in the infrared spectral range. The following subjects will be pursued:

1. Development of novel methods for synthesis and purification of chalcogenide and heavy metal oxide (HMO) systems to obtain high quality rods and performs;
2. Preparation and investigation of new vitreous HMO systems based on Sb₂O₃ or Bi₂O₃ and chalcogenide glasses with higher contents of Te as compared to systems (e.g. Ge₂0Se(80-x)Tex) previously studied in our laboratory;
3. Finding of suitable RE dopant - glass matrix combinations in view of photonics applications;
4. Fibre drawing technology and fibre characterization;
5. An attempt will also be done to develop approaches for the preparation of capillary and microstructure fibres from the prepared materials.