IR spectra analysis of SiO2−TiO2−GeO2 gel glass of CO2 laser transmitting hollow waveguide

Abstract

Both titanium and germanium were introduced into silicon dioxide system by sol-gel method to move its region of anomalous dispersion caused by IR resonance absorption towards the wavelength of CO2 laser. It is indicated by IR absorption spectra that as the content of SiO2 decreases in this glass system TiO2 and GeO2 tends to exist in their own phases. As for the gel glass with a composition of 40 SiO2·30TiO2·30GeO2, when the temperature is below 600°C, germanium atoms exist mainly in Ge−O−Ge bonds. With the temperature increasing from 800°C to 1000°C, titanium atoms in Si−O−Ti bonds abmost transform into Ti−O−Ti bonds. Furthermore, a large number of Si−O−Ti and Si−O−Ge bonds formed when the temperature approaches 800°C, which makes a notable IR absorption band round the wavelength of CO2 laser. Therefore, sol-gel based SiO2−TiO2−GeO2 gel glass is a candidate material for CO2 laser hollow waveguide.