Sol-Gel Fabrication of Glass Fibers for Optics

Abstract

The chemistry and physics of the sol-gel fabrication of Si02 glass fibers, by direct spinning of silicon alkoxide-derived viscous sols and by melt-drawing of sol-gel-derived preforms, are reviewed„ The sol-gel method has been extended to the fabrication of high refractive index PbO-TiO2 glass fibers. Third order optical nonlinear susceptibilities X(3) as high as ~10-12 esu are obtained in these glasses.