Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Fluorophosphate glasses combine the beneficial features of both phosphate and fluoride networks. They exhibit high thermal and chemical stability, low hygroscopicity, low phonon energy, and a broad transparency window from ultraviolet UVI to near-infrared (NIR), making them attractive for advanced photonic applications. However, their nonlinear optical behavior has remained poorly explored, limiting their applicability for integrated photonics. The incorporation of heavy metal oxides (HMOs), such as Nb 2 O 5, enables tailored structural and optical properties, enhancing third-order nonlinearities. In this work, the nonlinear refractive index (n 2 ) of Nb 2 O 5 -modified fluorophosphate glasses was investigated using nonlinear elliptic rotation (NER) measurements, and the results were interpreted with the structural analyses obtained from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A significant increase in n 2 was observed with Nb 2 O 5 content, reaching 1.7 × 10 –19 m 2 /W compared to 0.56 × 10 –19 m 2 /W for samples with 20 and 5% content, respectively. XPS confirmed the progressive formation of nonbridging oxygen species (NBOs) over bridging oxygens (BOs), directly correlating with enhanced polarizability and nonlinear response. Thus, Nb 2 O 5 -modified fluorophosphate glasses emerge as promising materials for nonlinear photonic applications, particularly in all-optical switching platforms, due to their good third-order optical figure of merit for photonic applications and favorable structural properties.
Source: ACS Applied Optical Materials
Language: English
Subfield: Ceramics and Composites
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
OpenAlex ID: W4415004781