9.8.2 Fluoride Glass
Fluoride (or nonoxide) glasses were discovered in 1975 by Marcel and Michel
Poulain [61]. At that time, one of the most important companies making fluoride
fibers was ‘‘Le Verre Fluore
´
’’ [62]. The principal interest of these glasses is their
transmission spectra because they are transparent to light from 300 to 6500 nm.
ZBLAN is the most common composition (ZrFM4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF), but
other compositions permit to reach different mechanical or optical properties.
Fluoride fibers can be used in a variety of scientific and industrial applications such
as infrared and near-infrared fiber spectroscopy, ultrafast fiber pyrometry, astro-
nomical interferometry, or telecommunications with fluoride glass optical ampli-
fier modules. ...