Fluoride glass research in France: fundamentals and applications

The paper reviews research activities on fluoride glasses in France over the last 10 years. Glass compositions for industrial applications as well as new glasses from academic research are presented. They include heavy-metal fluoride glasses, fluorochloride glasses and oxyfluoride glasses. Besides physico-chemical properties, special attention is paid to the optical characteristics of heavy-metal fluoride glasses. They exhibit broader infrared transparency than oxides, which results in unique optical properties and applications, especially in the fields of fiber lasers and optical amplifiers operating at wavelengths not accessible with silica.