Optical sources for the 2-12 um spectral band of the mid-infrared

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Mid-infrared sources are in demand for the identification and quantification of molecular species in gases, liquids and at the surface of solids, with applications for medical instrumentation, industrial processes, environment monitoring, and defence. Mid-infrared sources that are tunable, compact, robust, and with low power consumption would be key components within portable chemical sensors. In the past years, my research has successfully demonstrated the unique functionality of new designs of optical fiber sources emitting in the 1.5-2.0 um wavelength range such as optical parametric oscillators, wavelength converters, supercontinuum sources, and quantum communications sources. Chalcogenide glasses have been used for the fabrication of those sources because of their exceptionally high nonlinearity coefficient, enabling strong nonlinear effects to take place in a short waveguide and requiring low input power to operate. However, another important quality of chalcogenide glasses is their transparency in the wavelength range of 1.5-12.0 um, enabling the fabrication of optical sources emitting in the mid-infrared. In response to the high demand for mid-infrared optical sources and the strong potential of chalcogenide glasses in this wavelength range, within the next 5 years, my research program will target the development of mid-infrared optical sources that are broadly tunable, compact, robust, and with low power consumption.