En route to electrically pumpable Cr^2+ doped II-VI semiconductor lasers broadly tunable over middle-infrared range of optical spectra

Abstract

Cr:ZnSe thin films were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with the long-term goal of demonstrating a new route for electrically pumpable transitional metal doped semiconductor lasers. Photoluminescence (PL) and PL lifetime measurements of doped thin films and bulk crystals indicate that Cr is incorporated in the optically active Cr2+ state to levels of 5⨉1019 cm−3. The shape of PL spectra and lifetime measurements of doped thin film compares favorably with for bulk samples. A microcavity formed by film interfaces provides wavelength modulation and is believed to be responsible for the differences in spontaneous emission observed between films and bulk.