Effect of fluorine doping on the optical and mechanical properties of bismuth-containing silicate and borate glasses

We investigate the effect of fluorine doping on the optical bandgap and Young’s modulus of binary Bi 2 O 3 –SiO 2 and Bi 2 O 3 –B 2 O 3 glasses. Colorless Bi 2 O 3 –BiF 3 –SiO 2 and Bi 2 O 3 –BiF 3 –B 2 O 3 glasses, with very small photoelasticity and elastic constants compared with pure silica glass, are potential alternatives to lead-containing oxide glass in the development of optical components using polarization control in the visible wavelength range. The effects of fluorine doping are summarized for blueshifts in the optical bandgaps of up to ~ 0.3 eV from ~ 3.6 eV. The applied photoelastic constants remained small at ± (0.02–0.07) × 10 −12 Pa −1 , and the Young’s moduli were ~ 70 GPa after doping. However, no conclusive connection to the structural effect of fluorine doping, as examined by Fourier-transform infrared and Raman scattering spectroscopies, was made, although there is clear evidence of the compatible properties of wide optical bandgap, very small photoelastic constant, and large elastic constant.