Optical window

Abstract

An optical dome or window formed of a composition which is transmissive to infrared frequencies in the range of from about 1 micron to about 14 microns and which is relatively opaque to substantially all frequencies above about 14 microns consisting essentially of a compound taken from the class consisting of group III-V compounds doped with an element taken from the class consisting of shallow donors and having less than about 1×10,atoms/cc impurities and having less than about 1×10,parts carbon. The shallow donors are Se, Te and S, preferably Se, with the Se concentration from 5×10,atoms/cc to 2×10,atoms/cc. The group III-V compound is preferably GaAs or GaP. The group III-V compound is fabricated by providing a graphite vessel containing a graphite cloth with the molten group III element thereover, a shallow donor and water containing boron oxide thereover, loading the group V element into the vessel in essentially stoichiometric amounts to provide the molten compound of the group III and group V elements and cooling the molten compound progressively in a vertical direction from bottom to top to form a crystal by causing growth of the crystal from the bottom up in a vertical direction. The crystal with B,O,thereon is then placed in a vacuum to reboil the B,O,and cause it to foam. The B,O,is then easily removed from the crystal.