Development of a glass optical fiber containing ZnO–Al2O3–SiO2 glass-ceramics doped with Co2+ and its optical absorption characteristics

A new type of glass fibers with optical characteristics unattainable by the conventional fiber processing method is presented. Silica glass fibers containing ZnO–Al2O3–SiO2 (ZAS) glass-ceramics particles doped with Co2+ in the core region of the optical fiber were developed using a silica slurry method. The ZAS glass-ceramics particles were found to be preserved in the core of the fiber even after the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) process and the fiber-drawing process at high temperatures. The observed absorption bands at IR regions were due to the tetrahedral Co2+ in the ZnAl2O4 crystals of the ZAS glass-ceramics in the core of the fiber.