Selenium semiconductor core optical fibers

G W Tang,X D Chen,X Wen,Q Qian,M Sun,K L Peng,Z M Yang,G X Zhou

doi:10.1063/1.4908020

G W Tang, X D Chen + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4908020

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Abstract

Phosphate glass-clad optical fibers containing selenium (Se) semiconductor core were fabricated using a molten core method. The cores were found to be amorphous as evidenced by X-ray diffraction and corroborated by Micro-Raman spectrum. Elemental analysis across the core/clad interface suggests that there is some diffusion of about 3 wt % oxygen in the core region. Phosphate glass-clad crystalline selenium core optical fibers were obtained by a postdrawing annealing process. A two-cm-long crystalline selenium semiconductor core optical fibers, electrically contacted to external circuitry through the fiber end facets, exhibit a three times change in conductivity between dark and illuminated states. Such crystalline selenium semiconductor core optical fibers have promising utility in optical switch and photoconductivity of optical fiber array.

Highlights

Phosphate glass-clad crystalline selenium core optical fibers were obtained by a postdrawing annealing process
In contrast to the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, the molten core approach is very useful for fabricating long lengths of low loss fiber.[7,20]
X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the core to be amorphous, and with a nominal amount of oxygen that diffuses into the core region from the cladding during the drawing process

Summary

Introduction

Glass-clad optical fibers comprising semiconductor core have attracted great recent attention for their potential utility as novel waveguides for application in nonlinear optics, sensing, power delivery, optical switch, photodetecting devices and biomedicine.[1,2,3,4,5,6] Over the last few years, impressive progress has been made in the nascent field of semiconductor optical fibers, from the fundamentals though to device demonstration.[7,8,9,10,11] Glass-clad amorphous/crystalline unary (Si and Ge)[12,13,14,15,16] and crystalline binary (InSb and ZnSe)[17,18] semiconductor core optical fibers have been realized using a molten core method or a chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The glass cladding draws directly into fiber at a temperature where the core precursor phase is molten, which goes “along for the ride” and solidifies as the fiber cools.[6,20] Employed here is a molten core approach to fabricate phosphate glass-clad selenium semiconductor core optical fibers

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