First Identification of Rare‐Earth Oxide Nucleation in Chalcogenide Glasses and Implications for Fabrication of Mid‐Infrared Active Fibers

摘要: Gallium (Ga) helps solubilize rare-earth ions in chalcogenide glasses, but has been found to form the dominant crystallizing selenide phase bulk glass our previous work. Here, crystallization behavior is compared of as-annealed 0–3000 ppmw Dy3+-doped Ge–As–Ga–Se glasses with different Ga levels: Ge16.5As(19−x)GaxSe64.5 (at.%), for x = 3 and 10, named Ga3 Ga10 series, respectively. X-ray diffraction high-resolution transmission electron microscopy are employed examine crystals as-prepared crystalline proved be same: Ge-modified, face centered cubic α-Ga2Se3. Light scattering polished samples monitored using Fourier transform spectroscopy. When decreased from 10 at.%, dramatically reduced optical loss decreases. Surface defects, a rough topology observed both series demonstrated comprise Dy, Si, [O]. For first time, evidence proposed nucleation agent Dy2O3 inside glass. This an important result because bound high phonon–energy oxide local environment are, as consequence, inactive mid-infrared fluorophores they undergo preferential nonradiative decay excited states.