Power performance of a continuous-wave Cr2+: ZnSe laser at 2.4 7 μm

Abstract

Continuous-wave power performance of a Cr2+:znSe laser was investigated at 2.474 μm. End pumped by a 1.583-μm NaCl:OH- laser, the resonator with a 3% transmitting output coupler produced as high as 250 mW of output power with a slope efficiency of 24.2%. Analysis of the laser efficiency data shows that the magnitude of the excited-state absorption cross section is less than 5% of the emission cross section in agreement with spectroscopic results. Numerical calculations further predict the optimum crystal length and absorption coefficient to be 2.5 cm and 0.49 cm-1, respectively, for continuous-wave operation.