Low photoelastic and optical properties in RO-SnO-P2O5 (R = Zn, Ba, Sr) glasses

We report transparent RO-SnO-P2O5 (R=Zn, Ba, Sr) glasses with low photoelastic constant less than ∼1 B (1×10(-12) Pa(-1)) and high refractive index more than ∼1.65. The BaO or SrO substitution effect of SnO on optical properties is nearly the same as ZnO substitution of the ternary zinc tin-phosphate glass without hazardous oxide. A new series of BaO-SnO-P2O5 glass characterized with a very low photoelastic constant of ∼0.08 B, high refractive index (∼1.66), and better water durability is a candidate for precise polarization control devices such as optical filters and beam splitters.