Nonlinear refraction and absorption spectroscopy of tellurite glasses within telecom bands

Abstract In this work we determined the nonlinear refractive index (n2) and the two-photon absorption coefficient (β) spectra of seven different tellurite glasses by open-aperture nonlinear ellipse rotation (NER) measurements. In order to demonstrate the potential of these vitreous systems for telecommunication applications, their nonlinear responses were characterized in the range of 1200 to 1600 nm. Aiming all-optical switching applications, figures-of-merit (FOMs) were calculated, based on n2, α0 and β coefficients. The FOMs results indicate that the investigated tellurite glasses compositions are promising materials for all-optical switching within the telecom wavelength range.