Suspended core tellurite optical fibers and generation of non linear effects in infrared region over 2 microns
The work reported in this thesis deals with the fabrication of suspended core tellurite microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) for supercontinuum generation beyond 2 µm. In order to reach our aim, we first studied thermal and optical properties of TeO2-ZnO-R2O and TeO2-WO3-R2O (where R = Li, Na and K) glasses. The glass 80TeO2-10ZnO-10Na2O (molar %) has been chosen in order to make MOFs for characterization of the generated non linear optical effects. Synthesis performed under dry and oxidative atmosphere allowed us to reduce the hydroxyl groups concentration by a factor of 30 compared to fabrication in air atmosphere. Use of dehydrating agents (ZnF2 and TeCl4) allowed to reduce again the OH groups concentration down to a few ppm. The glass composition 80TeO2-5ZnO-5ZnF2-10Na2O increases the fiber transparency up to 4 µm letting the influence of multiphonon absorption appear. Using the purest commercial raw powders, we have fabricated one tellurite fiber exhibiting very low losses (0,1 dB/m). We have fabricated suspended core MOFs with a core diameter varying from 2,7 µm up to 3,5 µm allowing to deal with the chromatic dispersion and to shift the zero dispersion wavelength down to the 1500-1660 nm range. In order to optimize the supercontinuum generation, we have used pico- and femtosecondes pulsed laser sources to pump the fibers in anomalous dispersion regime. In parallel to the experimental measurements, we have performed numerical simulations based on the resolution of the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The experimental results, in good agreement with the simulations, allowed us to point out a spectral broadening expending from 850 nm up to 2850 nm with a total output power of 112 mW, with an extinction near the longest infrared wavelengths which is again strongly limited by the hydroxyl groups absorption. However, the dehydrated material, even though it needs to be improved further, allowed to show that by pumping at 2000-2200 nm, the supercontinuum can reach 4000-4500 nm, the wavelength range from which the multiphonon absorption starts to be perceptible