Mid-infrared laser development based on transition metal doped cadmium manganese telluride

The recent discovery of mid-infrared laser action from Cr2+ ions has stimul ated significant interest in transition metal (TM) doped II-VI semiconducto rs as solid-state laser materials. Tunable mid-infrared lasing has been rep orted from Cr:ZnSe, Cr:ZnS, Cr:CdSe, and Cr:Cd0.85Mn0.15Te. Cd1-xMnxTe (0 < x < 0.77) is a promising host for Cr2+ and other TM ions because it can be commercially produced with high mechanical and optical quality. Moreover, Cd1-xMnxTe allows one to optimize the optical and laser properties of TM io ns as a function of chemical composition. In this paper we report spectrosc opic and laser results of Cr:Cd0.55Mn0.45Te. In addition, preliminary resul ts on the absorption and mid-infrared luminescence properties of Co doped C d0.55Mn0.45Te are presented. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese rved.