Investigation of silver-only and silver/TOPAS coated hollow  glass waveguides for visible and NIR laser delivery

Jeffrey E. Melzer; James A. Harrington

doi:10.1117/12.2085193

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5 March 2015 Investigation of silver-only and silver/TOPAS coated hollow glass waveguides for visible and NIR laser delivery

Jeffrey E. Melzer, James A. Harrington

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Proceedings Volume 9317, Optical Fibers and Sensors for Medical Diagnostics and Treatment Applications XV; 93170H (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2085193
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2015, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Hollow Glass Waveguides (HGWs) present a viable option for the low-loss transmission of radiation over a broad range spanning from visible to far-infrared wavelengths. Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC), a commercially available polymer known as TOPAS®, is chosen for this study due to its exceptionally low absorption losses throughout the spectrum, particularly in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) regions. While silver-coated HGWs are capable of transmitting visible and NIR radiation with low losses, theory predicts that the addition of a uniform dielectric thin film of quarter wavelength thickness will reduce these losses for both straight and bent configurations, while additionally providing a potentially more desirable modal output for laser applications. In this paper, the procedures for the deposition of the silver and subsequent COC films are outlined. Spectroscopy is used to obtain the thickness of the polymer film. The theoretical attenuation losses of the silver and Ag/COC HGWs are explored and experimental values are obtained using various visible and IR lasers. Moreover, the modal output of the silver and Ag/COC HGWs is qualitatively compared. The possibility of use of these Ag/COC HGWs at mid- and far-IR wavelengths is discussed.

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Jeffrey E. Melzer and James A. Harrington "Investigation of silver-only and silver/TOPAS coated hollow glass waveguides for visible and NIR laser delivery", Proc. SPIE 9317, Optical Fibers and Sensors for Medical Diagnostics and Treatment Applications XV, 93170H (5 March 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2085193

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