Abstract

The recent reports of mid-infrared lasing from Cr: ZnS, Cr: ZnSe, Cr: CdSe, and Cr: CdMnTe have stimulated interest in Cr²⁺ doped II–VI semiconductors as possible solid-state laser materials.^1–6 We are currently engaged in a systematic study of evaluating transition-metal doped Cadmium Chalcogenides for mid-infrared laser applications. Initial laser results of Cr: Cd_{0 8 5}Mn_{0 15} Te and Cr: Cd_0,55Mn_{0 45}Te have shown slope efficiencies as high as 45%, which indicates that Cd_1-x Mn_x Te (0 < x < 0.7) is a promising host material for Cr²⁺ ions.^3,4 Compared to other Cr²⁺ hosts, Cd_1-x Mn_x Te is easier to grow using Bridgman technique at relatively low temperatures (1070-1092°C). In addition, the ternary structure of Cd_l-xMn_x Te allows to optimize the optical and laser properties of the transition-metal dopant as a function of chemical composition and lattice parameter. In this paper we report new spectroscopic results of Cr²⁺ doped Cd_1-xMn_x Te laser crystals focusing on the mid-infrared absorption and luminescence properties. In addition, initial results of the mid-infrared luminescence from Cr: CdTe, Co: CdTe and Co: Cd_1-xMn_x Te will be presented.

© 1999 Optical Society of America