Temperature dependence of thermo-optical properties of fluoride glasses determined by thermal lens spectrometry

In this work we report on the use of the thermal lens spectrometry to determine the absolute values of thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity, and temperature coefficient of optical path-length change of several fluoride glasses. The results showed that flouride glasses doped-with minor quantities of Ga, In, and Zn exhibit thermal conductivities and thermal diffusivities roughly 20%: larger than that of fluorozirconate (ZBLAN) glasses, whereas their temperature coefficients for the optical path-length:change was found to be 50% smaller. This suggests that these fluoride glasses may be considered as promising candidates for high power laser applications. We have also demonstrated how this technique can be used for the complete thermo-optical properties characterization as a function of temperature. [S0163-1829(99)01342-9].