Co 2+ : ZnS and Co2+:ZnSe saturable absorber <i>Q</i> switches

Abstract

The materials, Co2+:ZnS and Co2+:ZnSe, serving as Q switches with an Er3+: glass laser at 1.54 μm have been demonstrated and analyzed. The output pulses were typically 15–65 ns in duration and of 1–4 mJ depending on the doping concentration and the crystal quality. The ground-state absorption cross section of Co:ZnS has been determined to be 7.7×10−19 cm2 and 7.6×10−19 cm2 for Co:ZnSe, by bleaching experiments.