Chalcogenide infrared As2?xSe3+x glass fibers

Chalcogenide glasses As_2?xSe_3+x have been prepared. A new technique of preparing the raw material and subsequently drawing fibers has been developed in order to avoid the formation of oxygen compounds. The fibers have been drawn by the crucible and rod method from oxygen free raw material inside an Ar atmosphere glove box. The fibers drawn to date have a diameter of 50–500 μm and lengths of several meters. Preliminary attenuation measurements indicate that the attenuation is better than 0.1 dB/cm at 10.6 μm. The attenuation is not affected even when the fiber is bent to a circular radius of 2 cm. By improving the preparation of materials and the drawing technique, we expect to achieve a better transmission.