Numerical investigation of a broadband coherent supercontinuum generation in Ga8Sb32S60 chalcogenide photonic crystal fiber with all-normal dispersion

All normal dispersion (ANDi) and highly nonlinear chalcogenide glass photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is proposed and numerically investigated for a broad, coherent and ultra-flat mid-infrared supercontinuum generation. The proposed PCF consists of a solid core made of Ga₈Sb₃₂S₆₀ glass surrounded by seven rings of air holes arranged in a triangular lattice. We show by employing the finite difference frequency domain (FDFD) method that the Ga₈Sb₃₂S₆₀ PCF dispersion properties can be engineered by carefully adjusting the air holes diameter in the cladding region and ANDi regime is achieved over the entire range of wavelengths with a zero chromatic dispersion around 4.5?μm. Moreover, we demonstrate that injecting 50?fs width and 20?kW peak power laser pulses (corresponding to a pulse energy of 1.06?nJ) at a pump wavelength of 4.5?μm into a 1?cm long ANDi Ga₈Sb₃₂S₆₀ PCF generates a broad, flat-top and perfectly coherent SC spectrum extending from 1.65?μm to 9.24?μm at the 20?dB spectral flatness. These results make the proposed Ga₈Sb₃₂S₆₀ PCF an excellent candidate for various important mid-infrared region applications including mid-infrared spectroscopy, medical imaging, optical coherence tomography and materials characterization.