Synthesis of titanosilicate glass in a steady laser plume

Abstract

Samples of titanosilicate glasses were synthesised by the method of laser distillation in an atmosphere of air or nitrogen at normal pressure. An investigation of the homogeneity of the dopant distribution in these samples was used to determine the dependence of the degree of steadiness of the distillation process on the chemical composition of the components of a laser target. The components were rods or tubes made of silica glass and the dopant source was Ti foil or TiO2 powder. The Raman and optical spectra were used in a study of the phase composition and the Ti ion valence. The dopant concentration in the amorphous samples, limited by the maximum intensity of the CO2 laser radiation used in the synthesis, reached ~10 mass % in terms of the TiO2 content. The doping of the grown samples was homogeneous to within ±1% throughout the investigated range (3–10%) of the TiO2 concentration.