Multicomponent glasses for electrooptical fibers

Abstract Series of alkali niobate silicate, -germanate, -phosphate glasses were studied by structure sensitive methods (Rayleigh and Mandel’shtam scattering, Raman scattering), and the results were treated from the viewpoint of a structure made up of ‘crystal motifs’. These crystal motifs were considered responsible for the Kerr coefficient of glasses in case of the motifs having composition and structure of known electrooptical crystals. The ways to design glasses with high Kerr coefficient and physical, chemical and technological parameters suitable for fiber drawing were analyzed, and the glasses for drawing electrooptic fibers were determined. A trial electrooptical Kerr fiber characterized by a halfwave length much less than that of commercial polymer electrooptical Pockels fiber, was demonstrated.