High Purity Zirconium Tetrafluoride For Fluoride Glass Applications

H. P. Withers Jr.; V. A. Monk; G. A. Cooper

doi:10.1117/12.951384

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2 June 1989 High Purity Zirconium Tetrafluoride For Fluoride Glass Applications

H. P. Withers Jr.; V. A. Monk; G. A. Cooper

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Proceedings Volume 1048, Infrared Fiber Optics; (1989) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.951384
Event: OE/LASE '89, 1989, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

A totally anhydrous process has been developed for the preparation of high purity zirconium tetrafluoride for use in low loss fluoride glass applications. The ZrF4 purityis 99.99997% with respect to all transition elements (excluding HO based on analysis by spark source mass spectrometry (SSMS) and graphite furnace/atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF/AA). The only transition elements detected by these techniques were Fe, Ni and Cr, while Co and Cu were consistently below the detection limits. The anhydrous nature of the process, which is strictly maintained by the choice of reactants, affords product with very low oxide and hydroxide content. Total oxygen concentrations of less than 10 ppm have been measured by the inert gas fusion technique. A ZBLAN glass composition prepared using this ZrF4 showed extremely low UV absorption having an absorption constant of 1 cm-1 at 198 nm. ZrF4 from this process was also used in a ZBLAN glass fiber whose minimum optical loss was measured at 6.3 dB/km over 150 meters of fiber. The process is straightforward to scale up and has also been demonstrated to be useful for the preparation of HfF4, BaF2, A1F3 and LaF3.

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H. P. Withers Jr., V. A. Monk, and G. A. Cooper "High Purity Zirconium Tetrafluoride For Fluoride Glass Applications", Proc. SPIE 1048, Infrared Fiber Optics, (2 June 1989); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.951384

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