Gel-Silica Optics: Theory and Application

A new generation of silica optics has resulted from alkoxide-based sol-gel processing of silica including: net shape transmissive optical elements, surface diffractive optics, inorganic doped GRIN optics, organic impregnated optical composites such as dye lasers and scintillators, optics with internal diffraction gratings, laser densified microoptical lenses and arrays, and laser densified waveguides. Processing control of the ultrastructure of the monolith at the time of gelation and during aging is essential to producing the optical devices together with chemical and thermal stabilization of the surface of the pore network prior to densification or impregnation. The process control variables for gel-silica optics are summarized together with spectroscopic analysis and molecular orbital calculations that explain how and why the thermal-chemical processing controls work at a molecular level.