Tunable, single-frequency, and multi-watt continuous-wave Cr2+:ZnSe lasers.

We demonstrate CW rapidly-tunable (4.5 microm/s), highpower (150 mW), single-longitudinal-mode (120 MHz) single-crystalline Cr(2+):ZnSe laser; CW widely-tunable (2.12-2.77 microm), multi-watt (2 W over 2.3-2.7 microm), polycrystalline Cr(2+):ZnSe laser; CW multi-watt (6 W, at 2.5 microm), highly efficient (48% real efficiency) polycrystalline Cr(2+):ZnSe laser; CW multi-watt (3 W, at 2.5 microm), highly efficient (41% real efficiency) ultra-compact polycrystalline Cr(2+):ZnSe laser; and CW hot-pressed ceramic Cr(2+):ZnSe laser.

[1]  S. Mirov,et al.  Recent Progress in Transition-Metal-Doped II–VI Mid-IR Lasers , 2007, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.

[2]  S B Mirov,et al.  Erbium fiber laser-pumped continuous-wave microchip Cr(2+):ZnS and Cr(2+):ZnSe lasers. , 2002, Optics letters.

[3]  Continuous-wave tunable Cr2+:ZnS laser , 2002 .

[4]  Timothy J. Carrig,et al.  Power scaling of Cr2+:ZnSe lasers , 2001 .

[5]  D. V. Gapontsev,et al.  Diode and fibre pumped Cr/sup 2+/:ZnS mid-infrared external cavity and microchip lasers , 2003 .

[6]  V. G. Shcherbitsky,et al.  Continuous wave diode pumped Cr2+:ZnSe and high power laser operation , 2001 .

[7]  Umit Demirbas,et al.  Intracavity-pumped Cr2+:ZnSe laser with ultrabroad tuning range between 1880 and 3100 nm. , 2006, Optics letters.

[8]  Ralph H. Page,et al.  Cr/sup 2+/-doped zinc chalcogenides as efficient, widely tunable mid-infrared lasers , 1997 .

[9]  W. J. Alford,et al.  Single-Frequency Cr:ZnSe Laser , 2004 .

[10]  A. Burger,et al.  Continuous-wave broadly tunable Cr2+:ZnSe laser. , 1999, Optics letters.

[11]  K. Schepler,et al.  Efficient grating-tuned mid-infrared Cr2+:CdSe laser. , 1999, Optics letters.

[12]  K. Schepler,et al.  Thermal effects in Cr/sup 2+/:ZnSe thin disk lasers , 2005, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.

[13]  S. Mirov,et al.  Broadly tunable compact continuous-wave Cr(2+):ZnS laser. , 2002, Optics letters.

[14]  S. Mirov,et al.  CW Single-Frequency Tunable, CW Multi-Watt Polycrystalline, and CW Hot-Pressed-Ceramic Cr2+:ZnSe Lasers , 2007, 2007 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO).

[15]  Christopher J. Holden,et al.  Graham and I , 1980 .

[16]  R. Beach,et al.  Demonstrations of diode-pumped and grating-tuned ZnSe:Cr{sup 2+} lasers. Revision 1 , 1997 .

[17]  Ralph H. Page,et al.  Transition metal-doped zinc chalcogenides: Spectroscopy and laser demonstration of a new class of gain media , 1996 .

[18]  Bryce Schumm,et al.  Mid-infrared laser development based on transition metal doped cadmium manganese telluride , 2000 .