Effect of thermal poling on the structure of Ag doped oxyfluorophosphate glasses

Abstract

Glassy materials treated by thermal poling have been of great interest due to their specific optical properties related with anodic surface modifications opening opportunities for a wide range of applications such as photonic integrated circuits, waveguides and diffraction gratings. Oxyfluorophosphate glasses are interesting as they combine the useful optical properties of fluoride glasses along with the mechanical properties of oxide glasses. Thermal poling of such glasses opens up specific field of interest as atomic migration mechanisms are not well understood in such compositions.The impact of thermal poling on the structural properties of the glass in the NaPO3-CaF2 -Ag2O - ErF3 system was evaluated. The migration of metallic silver induced by the poling treatment is explored and its impact on the glass surface property is investigated.Controlling the spatial formation of metallic silver will open a new path to modify the optical properties of such glasses as well as to structure their surface.