Vapour-phase deposition of multicomponent fluoride glasses

Vapour deposition methods have become the dominant means for preparing optical waveguide materials. The compositional complexity of fluoride glasses makes difficult the use of the methods for these materials. However, the individual fluoride constituents of the vitreous system PbF2-ZnF2-GaF3 exhibit comparable volatilities that allowed reconstituting the composition of a stable glass in the vapour state. Thus, the ability of preparing fluoride glass planar waveguides has given back interest for these hosts in optical telecommunications for active integrated phonotic applications.