Si-Te acousto-optic modulator for the 1.7-10.6 mu m IR region

New amorphous Si20Te80 glass alloy has been synthesized and investigated. A modulator based on the amorphous Si-Te acousto-optic cell and operating in the mid-infrared (IR) region has been manufactured and tested using CO2 (1 0.6 mu m), He-Ne (3.39 mu m) gas lasers and 3.3 mu m (based on InGaAsSb/InA sSbP double heterostructure), and 1.87 mu m, (based on GaInAsSb) diode lase rs. A modulation efficiency similar to 90% at relatively small acoustic pow er with short enough response time (not longer than 0.3 mu s) make possible to use the modulator in many applications, e.g. for modulation and deflect ion laser radiation, for optical gas sensor applications, for diode laser s pectroscopy to make mode selection or wavelength selection within lasing pu lse. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.