Chalcogenide glasses with large non-linear refractive indices

Abstract

Non-linear refractive indices and non-linear absorptions of several chalcogenide glasses have been measured by the z-scan method at 1.06 μm, to evaluate their potential use in telecommunication as all optical ultra-fast switching devices. The index obtained for the reference glass As 2S 3 (2.5 × 10 −18 m 2/W) agrees with that found in the literature. Glasses in Ge–Se and Ge–Se–As systems have been measured. Non-linear refractive indices four times larger (10.2 × 10 −18 m 2/W) than that of As 2S 3 have been obtained for a Ge–Se–As glass.