Alan Martinez

Energy scaling of room temperature Fe2+:ZnSe gain-switched 4.3 μm laser

We report an optimization of Fe:ZnSe crystals fabrication, as well as a fourfold increase of the output energy of the gain-switched middle-infrared Fe:ZnSe laser pumped by the radiation of Q-switched Cr:Er:YSGG (2.8μm) laser. Lasing was studied over 236-300K temperature range. In Fabry-Perot cavity with 18% OC reflectivity the maximum output energy reached 4.7 mJ @ 4.3μm and 3.6 mJ @ 4.37μm at 236K and 300K, respectively and was limited only by available pump energy. Threshold was about 8 mJ and was practically unchanged over studied temperature range. The laser slope efficiencies decreased from 19% to 16 % with an increase of temperature from 236 to 300K.

Gamma radiation-enhanced thermal diffusion of iron ions into II-VI semiconductor crystals

We investigate the effect of γ-irradiation on the rate of post-growth thermal diffusion of iron into ZnSe and ZnS. Samples had thin films of iron deposited on one facet and were annealed at 950°C for 14 days in the presence of γ-radiation and diffusion lengths were compared to those of traditional post-growth thermal diffusion in the absence of γ-irradiation. Samples of Fe:ZnSe and Fe:ZnS annealed under 44R/s γ-irradiation showed increases in diffusion rate of 14% and 50%, respectively.

Fe:ZnSe passive Q-switching of 2.8-μm Er:Cr:YSGG laser cavity

The use of Fe:ZnSe polycrystals as passive Q-switches for the Er:Cr:YSGG laser operating at 2.8&mgr;m is introduced. Fe:ZnSe samples with 1-7cm-1 coefficients of absorption were prepared using thermal diffusion of iron in CVD grown polycrystalline ZnSe. A flashlamp pumped Er:Cr:YSGG laser with a variable (40 - 80% reflectivity) output coupler (OC) was used as a test bed for passive Q-switching. Using a 90% initial transmission Fe:ZnSe placed at the Brewster angle we obtained a single giant pulse lasing with a pulse duration of ~65 ns and a maximum output of 13 mJ under 30 J of flashlamp pump. Multi-pulse (19 pulses) output was obtained with 85 mJ total output energy at a pump energy of 30 J. The saturation curve of Fe:ZnSe was measured. Fitting this data with a theoretical model results in absorption crosssection of 0.56 × 10-18 cm2, which is close to the value of the absorption cross-section obtained from spectroscopic measurements (0.85 × 10-18 cm2 at 2.8 &mgr;m).

Crystal field engineering of transition metal doped II-VI ternary and quaternary semiconductors for mid-IR tunable laser applications

We report on crystal-field engineering of solid-state laser gain media based on new transition metal (TM) (iron) doped II-VI ternary and quaternary semiconductor materials for middle-infrared (mid-IR) tunable laser applications. Novel ternary and quaternary TM:II-VI materials were fabricated in powder form using thermal annealing of mixtures of commercially available binary powders sealed in evacuated quartz ampoules. These resultant powders were characterized using XRD, micro-Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and PL kinetics. We demonstrate: 1) that this synthesis method enables laser active powder media and is an effective means to fabricate and prototype novel laser active materials, 2) by introducing heavier or lighter ions into the host crystal lattice, it is possible to independently engineer the spectral positions of the absorption and PL band of TM ions in II-VI crystals, and 3) the first time to our knowledge room temperature, mirrorless, random lasing of iron doped Zn0.5Cd0.5Te powders at 5.9 μm.

Enhancement of Cr and Fe diffusion in ZnSe/S laser crystals via annealing in vapors of Zn and hot isostatic pressing

Enhancement of the thermal diffusion rates of Cr and Fe in ZnSe/ZnS was studied using two different approaches. Enhancement of Cr diffusion in ZnSe was achieved by application of excess Zn atmosphere during the thermal diffusion of Cr, where ~2.2 times improvement in the diffusion coefficient was seen over the standard diffusion technique. Also, the diffusion coefficient of Fe in ZnSe and ZnS was improved by 13 and 14 times, respectively, when diffusion was done under hot isostatic pressing.

Mid-IR spectroscopy of Fe:ZnSe quantum dots

We report spectroscopic characterization of Fe:ZnSe quantum dots (for 2% of Zn/Fe molar ratio) fabricated by microemulsion hydrothermal synthesis. Mid-IR photoluminescence of the 5E↔5T2 transition of Fe2+ ions over 3.5-4.5 μm spectral range was observed in Fe:ZnSe quantum dot samples and kinetics of luminescence have been characterized at temperatures of 30-300 K under direct (2.788 μm) mid-IR excitation and indirect (0.355 μm) photoionization excitation. The radiative lifetime (τrad) was estimated from these measurements to be 48 µs while lifetime at room temperature was measured to be 440 ns. This agrees closely with the behavior of bulk material.

Enhancement of Fe diffusion in ZnSe/S laser crystals under hot isostatic pressing

Many organic molecules have strong and narrow absorption features in the middle Infrared (mid-IR) spectral range. The ability to directly probe absorption features of molecules enables numerous mid-IR applications in non-invasive medical diagnosis, industrial processing and process control, environmental monitoring, etc. Thus, there is a strong demand for lasers operating in mid-IR spectral range. Transition metal (TM) doped II-VI semiconductors such as Fe/Cr:ZnSe/S are the material of choice for fabrication of mid-IR gain media due to favorable combination of properties: a four level energy structure, absence of excited state absorption , broad mid-IR vibronic absorption and emission bands. Despite the significant progress in post-growth thermal diffusion technology of TM:II-VI fabrication there are still some difficulties associated with diffusion of certain TM’s in these materials. In this work we address the issue of poor diffusion of Fe in ZnSe/S polycrystals. It is well known that with the temperature increase the diffusion rate of impurity also increases. However, simple application of high temperatures during the diffusion process is problematic for ZnSe/S crystals due to their strong sublimation. The sublimation processes can be suppressed by application of high pressures. Hot isostatic pressing was utilized as the means for simultaneous application of high temperatures (1300°C) and high pressures (1000atm, 3000atm). It was determined that diffusion coefficient of Fe was improved 13 and 14 fold in ZnSe and ZnS, respectively, as compared to the standard diffusion at 950°C. The difference in diffusion coefficients can be due to strong increase in the grain size of polycrystals.

Mid-IR gain media based on transition metal-doped II-VI chalcogenides

Progress in fabrication and mid-IR lasing of Cr and Fe thermal-diffusion and radiation enhanced thermal diffusion doped II-VI binary and ternary polycrystals is reported. We demonstrate novel design of mid-IR Fe:ZnSe and Cr:ZnSe/S solid state lasers with significant improvement of output average power up to 35W@4.1 μm and 57W@2.5 μm and 20W@2.94 μm. We report significantly improved output characteristics of polycrystalline Cr:ZnS/Se lasers in gain-switched regime: 16 mJ at 200 Hz, pulse duration 5 ns with tunability over 2400-3000 nm as well as Kerr-Lens-Mode-Locked regime in terms of average power (up to 2 W), peak power and pulse energy (0.5 MW and 24 nJ, respectively), and pulse duration (less than 29 fs).

Radiation-Enhanced Thermal Diffusion of Transition Metal and Rare Earth Ions into II-VI Semiconductors

We report on study of gamma radiation-enhanced thermal diffusion of Transition Metal and Rare Earth ions into IIVI semiconductor crystals. ZnSe and ZnS samples with of iron thin film deposited on one facet were sealed in evacuated quartz ampoules at 10-3 Torr. The crystals were annealed for 14 days at 950°C under γ-irradiation from 60Co source. The irradiation dose rates of 43.99 R/s, 1.81 R/s were varied by distance between 60Co source and furnaces. For comparison, the samples were also annealed without irradiation at the same temperature. The spatial distributions of transition metal were measured by absorption of focused laser radiation at 5T2-5E mid-IR transitions of iron ions. In addition, samples of ZnSe were similarly sealed in evacuated quartz ampoules in the presence of Praseodymium metal and annealed at 950°C under 43.99 R/s and 0 R/s and the diffusion lengths and Pr concentrations were compared. The γ-irradiation results in better intrusion of the iron ions from the metal film and increase of the diffusion length at ~25%, while Praseodymium diffusion is dramatically enhanced by γ-irradiation during the annealing process.

Spectroscopic characterization of Fe2+-doped II-VI ternary and quaternary mid-IR laser active powders

We report on spectroscopic characterization of laser active powders based on iron doped II-VI ternary and quaternary semiconductors for mid-IR laser applications. Iron doped Cd1-x MnxTe, Cd1-x MnxS, Cd1-xMnxSe, Cd0.5Mn0.5S0.5Se0.5 , Cd1-xZnxTe compounds with x=0.5-0.25, were prepared by using thermo diffusion technique. The starting binary powders were mixed in the appropriate molar ratios, sealed in evacuated (10-3 Torr) quartz ampoules, and annealed at 800-1000oC for several days. Samples composition, integrity, and grain size were characterized by micro-Raman and Xray diffraction and revealed a variation of the crystal field parameters depending on powder composition. Fe2+ photoluminescence was characterized by spectral band position (normalized with respect to the detection platform spectral sensitivity) and lifetime at different temperatures, enabling calculation of the absorption and emission crosssections. Practical utility of the developed powders was demonstrated by a room temperature random lasing of iron doped Cd0.5Zn0.5Te powders over 5620-6020 nm spectral range pumped by a 2.94 μm radiation of a Q-switched Er:YAG laser. In summary, the following has been accomplished: (1) It was demonstrated that laser active Fe2+ doped ternary and quaternary II-VI materials can be produced by simple annealing of the commercially available binary powders omitting expensive and complicated crystal growth processes; (2) It is possible to effectively shift PL of Fe2+ in II-VI host materials towards shorter or longer wavelength by varying composition, type and amount of the second cation in ternary II-VI materials; (3) Major spectroscopic characteristics of Fe2+ doped II-VI ternary and quaternary compounds were obtained and their practical utility for mid-IR lasing demonstrated.