Rare earth-doped, stabilized cadmium halide glasses.

摘要

This invention is directed to the production of transparent glasses exhibiting transmission far into the infrared region of the radiation spectrum. The glasses consist essentially, in mole percent, of 42-55% CdF2 and/or CdCl2, 30-40% NaF and/or NaCl, 2-20% total of BaF2 and/or BaCl2 + KF and/or KCl, consisting of 0-15% BaF2 and/or BaCl2 and 0-7% KF and/or KCl, 1-12% total of at least one stabilizing metal halide selected from the group LiX, BeX2, MgX2, MnX2, PbX2, TlX, CoX2, and ZnX2, and 0.005-0.5% ReX3, wherein Re is at least one rare earth metal selected from the lanthanide series of rare earth metals and X is at least one halide selected from the group consisting of fluoride, chloride, and bromide. The preferred glasses contain at least 2% each of BaF2 and/or BaCl2 and KF and/or KCl.