US 6,205,281 B1 · Fluorinated rare earth doped glass and glass-ceramic articles

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a fluorinated rare earth doped glass composition and method for making a glass-ceramic optical article therefrom, e.g. optical fiber waveguides, fiber lasers and active fiber amplifiers, having application in the 1300 nm and 1550 nm telecommunications windows. The inventive compositions include Pr3+ and/or Dy3+ in a concentration range of between 300-2,000 ppmw and Ag+ in a concentration range of between 500-2,000 ppmw; or Er3+ in a concentration range of between 500-5,000 ppmw and Ag+ in a concentration range of between 0-2,000 ppmw. The monovalent silver ion provides an ionic charge balanced glass-ceramic crystal. These compositions exhibit reduced or absent rare earth ion clustering and fluorescence quenching effects in the presence of high concentrations of rare earth ion dopants.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An optical article comprising:

a transparent glass-ceramic core, said glass-ceramic core having substantially only one crystal phase, consisting essentially, in terms of cation percent, of:
SiO2 20-40;
AlO1.5 10-20;
CdF2 19-34;
PbF2 15-25;
ZnF2 0-7;
REF 3-10;
wherein up to 5 mole % of CdS or 3 mole % of CdCl2 can be substituted for an equivalent amount of CdF2, or an equivalent amount of an oxide can be substituted for the fluoride;
where REF is at least one of YF3 3-7, GdF33-7, and LuF3 4-15 and RE is at least one of Pr3+, Dy3+, and Er3+;
and
a transparent glass cladding, consisting essentially, in weight percent on an oxide basis, of:
SiO2 25-35;
Al2O3 3-5;
CdF2 12-16;
PbF2 40-50;
ZnF2 4-8;
and Bi2O3 0-10.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

09/081,856Filed 19 May 1998 · us provisional application

Priority

27 May 1997

Granted

20 Mar 2001

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification23 codes

G02B 6/02
Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings: optical fibres with cladding…
C03B 37/023
From molten glass in which the resultant product consists of different sorts of glass or is characterised by shape, e.g. hollow fibres ,…
C03B 37/0235
Fibres composed of different sorts of glass, e.g. glass optical fibres, made by the double crucible technique: thermal treatment of the fibre…
C03B 37/15
Re-forming fibres or filaments, i.e. changing their shape: with heat application, e.g. for making optical fibres

Fluorinated rare earth doped glass and glass-ceramic articles

Life of this patent

Fluorinated rare earth doped glass and glass-ceramic articles

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12