Polarizing glasses
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsNicholas F. Borrelli, Donald M. Trotter JR.
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Abstract
Polarizing glass articles and methods of manufacturing polarizing glass articles are disclosed. Optical isolators using the polarizing glass articles have reduced coupling and surface losses when compared with conventional optical isolators.
Claims11
A polarizing glass article that is phase-separated by precipitating silver halide, copper halide, or copper-cadmium halide crystals and that contains silver, copper, or copper cadmium metal particles having an aspect ratio of at least 2:1, the article having a refractive index greater than 1.55.
An optical isolator including at least two polarizing glass elements, a faraday rotator disposed between the polarizing glass elements, wherein the polarizing glass elements have a refractive index greater than 1.6 and the coupling loss of the optical isolator disposed between two single mode optical fibers is less than 0.35 dB.
A method of manufacturing a polarizing glass article comprising the steps of:
- melting a batch containing a source of silver, copper or copper-cadmium and at least one other halogen;
- cooling and shaping the melt into a glass article;
- subjecting the glass article to an elevated temperature for a period of time sufficient to generate and precipitate silver halide, copper halide or copper-cadmium halide crystals in the glass;
- elongating the glass article under stress at a temperature above the annealing point of the glass to elongate the crystals in the direction of the stress;
- and
- exposing the elongated glass article to a reducing atmosphere at an elevated temperature to initiate reduction to silver or copper metal, wherein the glass article has a refractive index greater than 1.6.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.