Abstract

Compared to oxide-based glasses, vitreous materials involving chalcogens form a rather new family of glasses which have gained attention, mainly because of their transmission in the mid-infrared. Indeed as low phonon compounds, these heavy-anion glasses allow the fabrication of molded optics for infrared cameras as well as infrared fibers operating in a large spectral range. These waveguides, when correctly tapered, allow the development of a new generation of sensitive evanescent-wave optical sensors which have been used for various applications. A review of some new patents of chalcogenide glasses and the current status of their applications is given. Chalcogenide glasses have been intensively studied in the 70’s of twentieth century as the important new class of promising high-tech materials for semiconducting devices and infrared optics. The present review highlights the recent developments made over the last five years in chalcogenide glasses for their applicability in different areas. Here, we will focus on the numerous applications of fibers of chalcogenide glass which include laser power delivery, chemical sensing, environmental monitoring etc.

Keywords: Chalcogenide glasses, infrared optics, optical fibers, sensors, FABRICATION, Laser Power Delivery, Bio-sensing Applications, Medical Applications, Environmental Applications, glass fibers