New glasses and their characterization for Raman gain

There are two current methods for estimating the Raman gain properties of materials - measuring the spontaneous Raman spectrum and comparing it to that of fused silica, and fabricating a fiber and measuring the gain directly. We have developed a new apparatus for measuring directly the absolute value of the Raman gain spectrum in bulk materials whose thicknesses is only a few millimeters. This apparatus will be described and has proven valuable for rapid evaluation of materials. A table of Raman gain will be given for different glass families including tellurites, post-transitional heavy metals, and mixed cation glasses.