Potential Application of Bi(Pb)-Ca-Sr-Cu-O Glasses for Preparation of Integrated Optical Fibers

The infrared transmission, and possible high nonlinear optical susceptibility of Bi(Pb)-Ca- Sr-Cu-O glasses as well as their being the precursors for high temperature superconductors make them potential materials for integrated optical fibers. In this work, the glass formation and the fabrication of glass fibers have been investigated. The properties of the glasses have been studied. The infrared cutoff of the glasses is above 7 μm, and a high refractive index (˜ 2.9) and a high density (˜ 6 g/cm3) indicate the possible high nonlinear optical susceptibility. After being heat treated at high temperatures, the glasses become superconductors which show the response to the optical radiation due to the bolometric effect. Fabrication of an integrated optical fiber system incorporating the transmitting medium, optical modulator and detectors is possible.