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Chalcogenide glasses are known for their large transparency in the mid-infrared and their high linear refractive index (>2). They present also a high non-linear coefficient (n 2 ), 100 to 1000 times larger than for silica, depending on the composition. we have developed a casting method to prepare the microstructured chalcogenide preform. This method allows optical losses as low as 0.4 dB/m at 1.55 µm and less than 0.05 dB/m in the mid IR. Various chalcogenide MOFs operating in the IR range has been fabricated in order to associate the high non-linear properties of these glasses and the original MOF properties. For example, small core fibers have been drawn to enhance the non linearities for telecom applications such as signal regeneration and generation of supercontinuum sources. On another hand, in the 3-12 µm window, single mode fibers and exposed core fibers have been realized for Gaussian beams propagation and sensors applications respectively.

section "Photonic Crystal and Microstructured Fibers"; International audience; Chalcogenide glasses are known for their large transparency in the mid-infrared and their high refractive index (>2). They present also a high non-linear coefficient (n2), 100 to 1000 times larger than for silica, depending on the composition. An original way to obtain single-mode fibers is to design microstructured optical fibers (MOFs). These fibers present unique optical properties thanks to the high degree of freedom in the design of their geometrical structure. A classical method to realize MOFs is the stack-and-draw technique. However, with chalcogenide glasses, that technique induces optical losses at the interfaces in the stack of capillaries. In consequence, we have developed a new casting method to fabricate the chalcogenide preform. This method permits to obtain optical losses around 1 dB/m at 1.55 μm and 0.3 dB/m in the mid-IR region. Various chalcogenide microstructured fibers working in the IR range were prepared in order to take advantage of the non-linear properties of these glasses and of the original MOF properties. For example, fibers with small effective mode area (Aeff < 10 μm2) have been realized to exacerbate the non-linear optical properties. Such fibers will find applications for signal regeneration in telecom, and for the generation of supercontinuum sources. On the contrary, for military applications in the 3-5 and 8-12 μm windows, large effective mode area and single mode fibers have been designed to permit the propagation of high-power gaussian laser beams.

The development of chalcogenide glasses fibers for application in the infrared wavelength region between 1 and 10 μm is a big opportunity. More particularly, the possibility to generate efficient non linear effects above 2 μm is a real challenge. We present in this work the elaboration and optical characterizations of suspended core microstructured optical fibers elaborated from the As2S3 chalcogenide glass. As an alternative to the stack and draw process a mechanical machining has been used to the elaboration of the preforms. The drawing of these preforms into fibers allows reaching a suspended core geometry, in which a 2.5 μm diameter core is linked to the fiber clad region by three supporting struts. The zero dispersion wavelength is thus shifted towards 2 μm. At 1.55 μm our fibers exhibit a dispersion around -250 ps/nm/km. Their background level of losses is below 0,5 dB/m. By pumping them at 1.55 μm with a ps source, we observe self phase modulation as well as Raman generation. Finally a strong spectral enlargement is obtained with an average output power of - 5 dbm.

Flat gain EDFA are key devices in long haul DWDM systems. A flat gain is needed to ensure an adequate signal to noise ratio evolution between channels during transmission. The dissipative filter introduced between two sections of doped fiber inside the amplifier can have a small residual reflective contribution at a particular wavelength. We have investigated the impact of such a back reflection and shown it is negligible for EDFA operation.