Preparation and investigation of Pr3+-doped Ge-Sb-Se-In-I glasses as promising material for active mid-infrared optics

For the first time, high purity Ge-Sb-Se-In-I glasses doped with Pr3+ ions are prepared. The host Ge-Sb-Se-In-I glass samples are fabricated using a combination of chemical and distillation methods of purification as well as a chemical transport reaction route. The glass structure, the content of gas-forming impurities and particles, as well as the optical, thermal and luminescent properties were investigated. The host and Pr3+-doped Ge-Sb-Se-In-I glasses are characterized by low optical losses in the mid-IR, low impurity content and high stability against crystallization. The content of hydrogen and oxygen impurities in the purest host glass samples, obtained using the multistep purification procedure, does not exceed 0.1 and 0.5 ppm(wt), respectively. The prepared Pr3+-doped Ge-Sb-Se-In-I glasses exhibit intense broadband luminescence in the 3.5-6 μm spectral range, with a lifetime of 6 ms at the wavelength of 4.7 μm.