Si–Te acousto-optic modulator for the 1.7–10.6 μm IR region

New amorphous Si20Te80 glass alloy has been synthesized and investigated. A modulator based on the amorphous Si–Te acousto-optic cell and operating in the mid-infrared (IR) region has been manufactured and tested using CO2 (10.6 μm), He–Ne (3.39 μm) gas lasers and 3.3 μm (based on InGaAsSb/InAsSbP double heterostructure), and 1.87 μm, (based on GaInAsSb) diode lasers. A modulation efficiency ∼90% at relatively small acoustic power with short enough response time (not longer than 0.3 μs) make possible to use the modulator in many applications, e.g. for modulation and deflection laser radiation, for optical gas sensor applications, for diode laser spectroscopy to make mode selection or wavelength selection within lasing pulse.