Abstract

In last twenty years, the hollow waveguide became proper delivery instrument for the delivery of radiation with high power or with the wavelengths which are unacceptable attenuated in a standard glass fiber, i.e. for the ultraviolet and mid- and far- infrared radiations. The goal of the presented investigation was to characterize the transmission possibility of 4.45 µm mid-infrared Fe:ZnSe radiation by the hollow glass wave-guide. For this case, a special type of Cyclic Olephin Polymer silver coated (COP/Ag) hollow waveguide was used. The mid-infrared radiation at 4.45 µm was generated by a bulk Fe:ZnSe laser working in gain switched regime. The pumping of this laser was realized by electro-optically Q-switched Er:YAG laser which 2.94 µm wavelength coincides with the maximum of Fe:ZnSe active medium absorption peak.

© 2011 Optical Society of America