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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Elaboration of multimaterial optical fibers with electro-optical functionalities

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The emergence of multimaterials optical fibers is of tremendous technological interest in photonics to combine the remarkable properties of glasses with those of other materials such as metals or polymers in order to form a fully integrated fiber optical system with multiple functionalities. Among these hybrid fibers, the development of fibers combining both optical signal and simultaneous electrical transport function could bring alternative interesting solution in many fields such as telecommunications, medicine or sensing. The drawing of architectures merging electrical and optical features in a unique elongated wave-guiding structure will enable to develop electro-optical functionalities independently or simultaneously by modifying the optic wave properties.Here, we report the engineering of two different glass-metal hybrid fibers based on tellurite glasses (TeO2 – ZnO – La2O3) then chalcogenide glasses (Ge – Se – Te) with a Rod-in-Tube and co-drawing approach. Tellurite glasses and chalcogenide glasses have been chosen for their wide transmission window in the mid-infrared range, their strong non-linear optical properties and their low glass transition temperature (Tg) compatible with many metals and polymers compared to silica glasses. In this PhD, we focused on the quality of the glass-metal interface, the continuity of the electrodes along the fiber and the development of techniques in order to connect the electrodes to an external electrical circuit.In addition, finite element simulations were also performed to determine the best parameters for the fiber: applied voltage, electrode-electrode and core-electrode distances. Indeed, it is important to find a compromise between a proximity of the two electrodes to maximize the electric field seen by the core of the optical fiber and a core-distance large enough to avoid inducing additional optical losses.Finally, we also implemented a setup to measure the electro-optical Kerr effect which corresponds to a light polarization rotation induced by a transparent dielectric material under an external field. The Kerr constant of each tellurite composition was measured in order to understand its evolution as a function of the concentration of each compound.