High extinction‐ratio microstructure fiber based on chalcogenide glasses.

Extinction ratio (ER) is one of the important parameters to characterize the polarization‐maintaining (PM) performance of the fiber. In this paper, we report the preparation and properties of a novel chalcogenide microstructure fiber with a high ER. We fabricate a preform using a peeled‐off extrusion method. The core and cladding material of the fiber are Ge9As23Se68 and Ge10As22Se68. The preform was drawn into a fiber with an average ER of −17.08 dB. The loss of the fiber is less than 2 dB over 5.20–8.55 μm, and the minimum loss of the fiber is 0.57 dB/m at 6.2 μm. Moreover, a flat mid‐infrared supercontinuum spectrum spanning from 1.53 to 12.50 μm is generated by pumping an 18‐cm‐long PM fiber for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]