SCATTERING LOSS CHARACTERISTICS OF SELENIDE-BASED CHALCOGENIDE GLASS OPTICAL FIBERS

Scattering loss characteristics of Ge-Se binary chalcogenide glass optical fibers are investigated. It is found that there is a strong correlation between the wavelength-independent scattering loss and the absorption caused by H2O impurities. Therefore, the amount of H2O impurity mainly determines the wavelength-independent loss of these optical fibers. After removing the H2O impurity and adjusting the fabrication conditions, the transmission loss is less than 1 dB/m over a wide infrared wavelength region of 2-8.5-mu-m, except for a small peak at 4.5-mu-m.