Crystalline silver halides fibers with optical losses lower than 50 dB/km in broad IR region

For the first time crystalline silver halides optical fibers with optical losses lower than 50 dB/km in broad region from 9 to 14 micron were fabricated by an extrusion process. The optical loss mechanism essential to lowest absorption in silver halides materials and fibers as intraband absorption by free holes in valence band are proposed. The crystalline fibers with Rayleight type lambda(-4) optical scattering were obtained. The IR region near 13 micron in AgBrI fibers with optical losses less than 10 dB/km was discovered. Non aged, stable IR polycrystalline silver halides optical fiber cables with losses, lower than 1 dB/m in region from 3 to 20 microns are presented Various applications of developed ATR and reflection remote FTIR sensors, based on low losses silver halides fibers are discussed.