Expanding up to far-infrared filamentation-induced supercontinuum spanning in chalcogenide glasses

We report on far-infrared filament-induced supercontinuum obtained with three chalcogenide glasses. The introduction of more polarizable elements (Se instead of S and Te instead of S and Se) into the glasses increases their non-linearity and transmission window and also shifts gradually corresponding zero-dispersion wavelength in the infrared region. Overall chalcogenide glasses were pumped with 65-fs pulses at the optimal wavelength with respect to supercontinuum extension. An infrared spanning reaching the 16-µm threshold is obtained.