Production of material with improved infrared transmission

摘要

The invention relates to the field of producing material that has a low absorbance in the 5 to 15 micron wavelength range. The process is particularly useful for producing single crystals of silver halides for use in manufacturing fiber optic light guides with low optic loss in the medium IR range. This invention covers a totality of process steps and a sequential order in which they are carried out. The process of synthesizing this low IR absorbing material requires careful preparation of raw materials into suitable starting materials, followed by mixing specific ratios of the starting materials. A specific melting process then further purifies the mix. Once this initial purification process is completed, a specialized second purification process is performed on the material from the first process. This second purification process yields the proper material for crystallization via the Stockbarger-Bridgeman method. The final product becomes the starting material for an optical fiber or other optical component, like lenses or windows, with improved IR transmission.