Disclosed are biodegradable glass substrates that are useful as functional elements of solid-state devices. In particular, biodegradable glass substrates having a rapidly degradable glass and a slowly degradable glass provide a structural platform that completely dissolves following a desired operational lifetime of devices such as implanted electronic devices, implanted sensor devices, and optical fibers.

An optical fiber according to an embodiment includes a core and a cladding. The average value n1_ave of the refractive index of the core, the minimum value nc_min of the refractive index of the cladding, and the refractive index n0 of pure silica glass satisfy relationships of n1_ave>nc_min and nc_min<n0. The cladding contains fluorine. The fluorine concentration in the cladding is adjusted to be minimum in the outermost portion of the cladding including the outer peripheral surface of the cladding.

The disclosed fluorophosphate glasses for an active device include: a metaphosphate composition including Al(PO.sub.3).sub.3; a fluoride composition including BaF.sub.2 and SrF.sub.2; and a dopant composed of ErF.sub.3 and YbF.sub.3, and have thermal and mechanical properties to be able to be used as a glass base material for an active device (e.g., optical fiber laser), have a high emission cross-section characteristic, have a reinforced upconversion and downconversion emission characteristic, and have high sensitivity S in a cryogenic environment.

An organic-inorganic composite, including: a discontinuous phase having a plurality of adjacent and similarly oriented fibers of an inorganic material; and a continuous organic phase having a thermoplastic polymer, such that the continuous organic phase surrounds the plurality of adjacent and similarly oriented fibers of the inorganic material, and the organic-inorganic composite is a plurality of adjacent and similarly oriented fibers of inorganic material contained within a similarly oriented host fiber of the thermoplastic polymer. Also disclosed are methods of making and using the composite.

The present invention discloses a method for preparing all-solid-state photonic crystal fiber preform by extrusion. Firstly, aligning the center of the first jacking end of the first jacking rod with the center of the core outlet mold. The adverse effect on this part of extruded core glass by oxygen or other impurities in air during the extrusion out of the core outlets can be avoided. The defects on the core glass surface and the cladding glass surface can be effectively removed, and the purity and quality of the core component in the obtained fiber preform can be improved.

Athermal glasses and athermal systems for infrared optical components and systems are disclosed.

The disclosed fluorophosphate glasses for an active device include: a metaphosphate composition including Al(PO.sub.3).sub.3; a fluoride composition including BaF.sub.2 and SrF.sub.2; and a dopant composed of ErF.sub.3 and YbF.sub.3, and have thermal and mechanical properties to be able to be used as a glass base material for an active device (e.g., optical fiber laser), have a high emission cross-section characteristic, have a reinforced upconversion and downconversion emission characteristic, and have high sensitivity S in a cryogenic environment.

An optical boroaluminate glass article comprises: from greater than or equal to 10.0 mol % to less than or equal to 30.0 mol % Al.sub.2O.sub.3; from greater than or equal to 10.0 mol % to less than or equal to 55.0 mol % CaO; from greater than or equal to 10.0 mol % to less than or equal to 25.0 mol % B.sub.2O.sub.3; from greater than or equal to 0.0 mol % to less than or equal to 30.0 mol % SiO.sub.2; and from greater than or equal to 1.0 mol % to less than or equal to 20.0 mol % refractive index raising components. The optical boroaluminate glass article has a refractive index of the glass article, measured at 589.3 nm, of greater than or equal to 1.62, and a density of less than or equal to 4.00 g/cm.sup.3.

A borate glass includes from 25.0 mol % to 70.0 mol % B.sub.2O.sub.3; from 0.0 mol % to 10.0 mol % SiO.sub.2; from 0.0 mol % to 15.0 mol % Al.sub.2O.sub.3; from 3.0 mol % to 15.0 mol % Nb2O5; from 0.0 mol % to 12.0 mol % alkali metal oxides; from 0.0 mol % to 5.0 mol % ZnO; from 0.0 mol % to 8.0 mol % ZrO.sub.2; from 0.0 mol % to 15.0 mol % TiO.sub.2; less than 0.5 mol % Bi.sub.2O.sub.3; and less than 0.5 mol % P.sub.2O.sub.5. The optical borate glass includes a sum of B.sub.2O.sub.3+Al.sub.2O.sub.3+SiO.sub.2 from 35.0 mol % to 76.0 mol %, a sum of CaO+MgO from 0.0 mol % to 35.5 mol %. The borate glass has a refractive index, measured at 587.6 nm, of greater than 1.70, a density of less than 4.50 g/cm.sup.3, and an Abbe number, V.sub.D, from 20.0 to 47.0.

Athermal glasses and athermal systems for infrared optical components and systems are disclosed.