PNNL

Abstract

Arsenic trisulfide exists both as a crystalline material (the mineral orpiment) and as an amorphous solid, or glass. It is nominally considered to have a bulk composition of As2S3. However, due to the polymerizability of the network forming sulfur backbone, a stable, homogeneous, amorphous, solid may be obtained having a composition that varies from pure sulfur to up to 40 mole% arsenic. This material possesses the interesting property of being photo-modifiable, that is, its optical properties (e.g. refractive index) may be altered by exposing it to light near its absorption band edge. The focus of this chapter is to provide an introduction to the principles and techniques of creating laser written waveguide structures in chalcogenide glass.