ZBLAN

ZBLAN glass samples. The different colors correspond to different compositions of glass. From left to right: praseodymium doped, erbium doped and non-doped ZBLAN glasses.

ZBLAN is the most stable, and consequently the most used, fluoride glass, a subcategory of the heavy metal fluoride glass (HMFG) group. Typically its composition is 53% ZrF4, 20% BaF2, 4% LaF3, 3% AlF3 and 20% NaF. ZBLAN is not a single material but rather has a spectrum of compositions, many of which are still untried. The biggest library in the world of ZBLAN glass compositions is currently owned by Le Verre Fluore, the oldest company working on HMFG technology. Other current ZBLAN fiber manufacturers are Thorlabs and KDD Fiberlabs. Hafnium fluoride is chemically similar to zirconium fluoride, and is sometimes used in place of it.

ZBLAN glass has a broad optical transmission window extending from 0.22 micrometers in the UV to 7 micrometers in the infrared. ZBLAN has low refractive index (about 1.5), a relatively low glass transition temperature (Tg) of 260–300 °C, low dispersion and a low and negative temperature dependence of refractive index dn/dT.[1]

  1. ^ Harrington, James A. "Infrared Fiber Optics" (PDF). Rutgers University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2005-09-06.