SOME RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN GLASSES FOR NONLINEAR OPTICS

The development of glasses with high chi(3) values is discussed. The g lasses considered contain oxides such as PbO, Bi2O3, La2O3, Nb2O5 and TiO2 in combination with B2O3 Or Ga2O3 to encourage glass formation. N ew glass-forming systems have been identified, in particular the PbO-B i2O3-TiO2 system, and fundamental properties such as refractive index dispersion curves, optical transmission, and crystallization character istics have been determined. Some glasses have predicted n2 values up to 35 times that for silica, and this figure has been confirmed by exp eriment.