Tellurite glass micro-superspheres as broadband Raman resonator

Tellurite glass micro-superspheres (Te-μSSs) were prepared by the surface-tension mold (StM) technique, and their whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonances have been investigated as the first trial to realize an ultra-broadband Raman resonator. Micrometer-sized tellurite glass particles were melted on an optical grade glassy-carbon substrate then cooled to room temperature (StM technique). Resultant Te-μSS possesses a super-spherical shape with high optical transparency. The size of the partly truncated area, resulting from the contact surface with the substrate, can be controlled by the composition of the glass and a microsphere with no truncated area was achieved for a glass with 56TeO2-3.5BaO-10.5SrO-8Nb2O5-4WO3-16P2O5 (TBSN-4W-16P) composition. The TBSN-4W-16P μSS was excited at 532 nm, and the WGM resonance emission attributed to broad Raman scattering of the glass itself was observed. The Q value of the μSS was ≈ 5 × 103. It was confirmed that the prepared μSSs possess a sufficiently spherical shape and acted as an efficient WGM resonator. These results predict that the Te-μSS has potential for a novel broadband Raman laser.

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