Influence of xenon difluoride on the optical properties of fluorozirconate and fluorohafnate glasses

To study the effect of xenon difluoride as a fluorinating agent on optical properties of glasses in ZBLAN (ZrF₄–BaF₂–LaF₃–AlF₃–NaF) and HBLAN (HfF₄–BaF₂–LaF₃–AlF₃–NaF) systems, their optical transmission in the range from UV to IR was investigated. The treatment of the initial fluorides with XeF₂ was shown to lead to a broadening of the transmission region of the obtained glasses both in the UV and IR ranges. Moreover, the treatment of the batch with xenon difluoride leads to the removal of oxygen-containing impurities that absorb in the region of 2.8 μm.