Irflex (United States)

This study reports the CO₂ laser-assisted deposition of transparent thin and thick films on quartz substrates using nanoparticles (NPs) of anatase-TiO₂, amorphous SiO₂, and chalcogenide As₂S₃ . The preparation process of the films involves three steps: (i) spin-coating for wet deposition, (ii) evaporation of Ethylene Glycol (EG) using either a lamp or laser, and (iii) laser sintering. A heat transfer model selects the laser processing parameters, while an Anti-Reflection Coating (ARC) model determines the optimal material selection and layer thickness to minimize reflectance and enhance transmittance. Microscopy analyses show that CO₂ laser energy induces necking and coalescence between NPs, as observed through SEM and optical microscopy. Film thickness is measured using an optical profilometer, and reflectance is assessed via UV/Vis spectrophotometry. UV/Vis/NIR spectrophotometry reveals that the sintered coatings are highly transparent, achieving transmittance above 90% in specific wavelength ranges. Single-layer (∼ 110 nm thick) and double-layer TiO₂ films of the same total thickness were analyzed to examine the interface's effect on transmittance. This study also examines the impact of TiO₂ and SiO₂ layer sequences on the optical properties of heterogeneous multilayer films. Thick films of As₂S₃ glass of high transparency were successfully deposited. XRD confirms the high purity and microstructural integrity of the sintered anatase-TiO₂ films, with no evidence of rutile transformation. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the AR properties and potential applications of these transparent coatings.

We present a CO2 laser-assisted method to deposit transparent Ag–As2S3 nanoparticle coatings with over 92% transmittance and reflectance below 5%. Single-layer homogeneous Ag– As2S3 coatings show better optical performance than double-layer heterogeneous coatings.

Nanoelectrospray laser deposition (NELD) of nanoparticles (NPs) on various substrates has attracted considerable attention as a fast, cost-effective, and scalable technique for precise control of heating time and zone. In this work, NELD-assisted sintering of titanium dioxide (TiO2) NPs on borosilicate glass and quartz substrates is addressed. A 10.6μm CO2 laser was used for patterning and sintering titania nanoparticles in ambient air. The effects of laser dose and deposition process parameters on the morphological, structural, and optical characteristics of the sintered TiO2 patterns were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The results point out that the anatase phase was preserved after laser sintering, without the appearance of any TiO2 rutile traces. We show that the improvement in the morphological properties of TiO2 patterns is due to the laser sintering of a dense layer of ceramic with enhanced interconnectivity and connection between single nanoparticles. A theoretical model was developed to select the temperature required to sinter TiO2 nanoparticles and to correlate it with the laser power and scanning speed to prevent cracking on the substrate and sintered nanoparticles and also to get transparent TiO2 films. An optical transmittance of ∼91% was achieved. The experimental data were in accordance with the theoretical model, predicting the success of the model.

In this paper, we review the recent progress on chalcogenide negative curvature fibers, including gaps to increase confinement, tube structures to suppress higher-order modes, parameters to decrease bend loss, and the experimental demonstration of chalcogenide negative curvature fibers. The advances in negative curvature fibers using chalcogenide glasses enable many applications in the mid-infrared region.

High-precision chalcogenide molded micro-lenses were produced to collimate mid-infrared Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs). Molded cylindrical micro-lens prototypes with aspheric contour (acylindrical), high numerical aperture (NA~0.8) and small focal length (f<2 mm) were fabricated to collimate the QCL fast-axis beam. Another innovative freeform micro-lens has an input acylindrical surface to collimate the fast axis and an orthogonal output acylindrical surface to collimate the slow axis. The thickness of the freeform lens is such that the output fast- and slow-axis beams are circular. This paper presents results on the chalcogenide molded freeform micro-lens designed to collimate and circularize QCL at 4.6 microns.

Ongoing efforts on the purification of chalcogenide glasses and fiber draw processes enable the production of commercial-grade mid-infrared (MIR) fibers for 1.5-10 μm transmission. Results show multimode and single-mode MIR fibers with low-loss ( 20kpsi). High-power laser transmission has been achieved in single-mode fiber (>5 MW/cm 2 CW).

IRflex is the only US company specializing in the production of fiber-optic devices for mid-infrared applications from 2-12 micron. Our innovative mid-infrared fiber enables the development and production of leading-edge critical devices for mid-infrared applications.