Mid-infrared supercontinuum covering 2.0–16 μm in a low-loss telluride single-mode fiber

Abstract

A mid-infrared (MIR) supercontinuum (SC) has been demonstrated in a low-loss telluride glass fiber. The double-cladding fiber, fabricated using a novel extrusion method, exhibits excellent transmission at 8–14 μm: < 10 dB/m in the range of 8–13.5 μm and 6 dB/m at 11 μm. Launched intense ultrashort pulsed with a central wavelength of 7 μm, the step-index fiber generates a MIR SC spanning from ∼2.0 μm to 16 μm, for a 40-dB spectral flatness. This is a fresh experimental demonstration to reveal that telluride glass fiber can emit across the all MIR molecular fingerprint region, which is of key importance for applications such as diagnostics, gas sensing, and greenhouse CO2 detection. (Figure presented.).