Lasing and luminescence characteristics of Fe:CdTe single crystal at room temperature

• Published in: Optical materials Vol. 139; p. 113768
• Main Authors: Antonov, V.A., Firsov, K.N., Gavrishchuk, E.M., Ikonnikov, V.B., Kononov, I.G., Kurashkin, S.V., Podlesnykh, S.V., Savin, D.V., Sirotkin, A.A., Zhavoronkov, N.V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-05-2023
• Subjects: Fe:CdTe laser; Hot isostatic pressing; Modified VGF method; Nonchain electric-discharge HF laser; Single-crystal fe:ZnSe laser; Nonchain electric-discharge HF laser; Fe:CdTe laser; Single-crystal fe:ZnSe laser; Modified VGF method; Hot isostatic pressing
• ISSN: 0925-3467; 1873-1252
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optmat.2023.113768

A technology for obtaining high-quality single-crystal active elements for a Fe:CdTe laser was described, which includes growing a single crystal from a melt using a modified vertical gradient freeze method followed by high-temperature treatment to remove free charge carriers. The room-temperature lasing and luminescence characteristics of a Fe:CdTe single crystal with a Fe2+ ions concentration of 6.1 × 1018 cm−3 were studied. The upper laser level lifetime, the output energy and a slope efficiency with respect to absorbed energy of the Fe:CdTe laser excited by the Fe:ZnSe laser were 340 ns, 13.5 mJ and 32%, respectively. The lasing spectrum of the Fe:CdTe laser with a nonselective cavity was located within the range 5.63–6.02 μm. It was noted the possibility to control the lasing spectrum by changing the pump laser spectrum (shifting the Fe:ZnSe laser spectrum to the short- or long-wavelength region by changing the quality factor of the cavity). Ways are discussed for further increasing the output energy of a Fe:CdTe laser at room temperature of the active element, in particular, by using a nonchain electric-discharge DF laser for pumping.
•Fe:CdTe laser elements can be produced using a modified vertical gradient freeze method followed by hot isostatic pressing.•Output energy of Fe:CdTe laser pumped by Fe:ZnSe laser at room temperature reaches 13.5 mJ with an slope efficiency of 32%.•The lasing spectrum of the Fe:CdTe pumped by Fe:ZnSe laser at room temperature lies in the range from 5470 to 6030 nm.