Mid-infrared transmission properties of amorphous germanium optical fibers

• DOI: 10.1063/1.3481413
• Publication Date: 2010-08-19T23:05:04Z
• Authors: Priyanth Mehta; Mahesh Krishnamurthi; Noel Healy; Neil F. Baril; Justin R. Sparks; Pier J. A. Sazio; Venkatraman Gopalan; John V. Badding; Anna C. Peacock
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 530

Germanium optical fibers have been fabricated using a high pressure chemical deposition technique to deposit the semiconductor material inside a silica capillary. The amorphous germanium core material has a small percentage of hydrogen that saturates the dangling bonds to reduce absorption loss. Optical transmission measurements were performed to determine the linear losses over a broad mid-infrared wavelength range with the lowest loss recorded at 10.6 μm. The extended transmission range measured in the germanium fibers demonstrates their potential for use in mid-infrared applications.