Non-toxic sulfide glasses and thin films for optical applications

Abstract

This article reviews the fabrication and properties of sulfide glasses and thin films consisting of non-toxic elements: alkaline-earth, rare-earth, germanium and gallium sulfides for optical applications. Refractive indexes, transmission and the fluorescence property of rare-earth ions in sulfide glasses are presented. Factors affecting rare-earth solubility in sulfide glasses are summarized. Thermally-stable BaS-Ga2S3-GeS2 glasses for optical fibers and Nd3+-doped transparent Ga-La-S-O glass-ceramics are described as new optical materials. Sm-doped SrS-Ga 2S3 non-crystalline and nano-crystalline metallic SmS films were irradiated by focused femtosecond laser pulses and new photoinduced phenomena are introduced.