Preparation and optical properties of CuI microcrystallite-doped borosilicate glasses

The preparation and optical properties of CuI microcrystallite-doped borosilicate glasses are reported in this paper. By selecting a phase-separable glass system Na2O–Al2O3–B2O3–SiO4 as the base glass and by introducing Cu+, I− from the starting materials CuO/SnO and NaI, respectively, CuI microcrystallite-doped borosilicate glasses have been prepared successfully. The presence of CuI microcrystallites in the glass matrix is verified by means of X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The optical transmission spectra show a red-shift of the absorption edge of glasses heated with increasing temperatures and time. Second harmonic generation (SHG) has been observed in the glasses illuminated with intense 1.06 μm and frequency-doubled laser beams from a mode-locked Nd:YAG laser.