Transition-metal-doped chalcogenide lasers

Broadly tunable mid-infrared lasers are desirable for a number of scientific, remote-sensing, and military applications. Recently, Cr2+-doped chalcogenide lasers have emerged as an attractive source of tunable laser radiation in the 2-3.4-mum region. This paper provides a brief introduction to this field, summarizes key laser work to date, and provides examples of transmission-metal-doped lasers that operate in this region. In particular, recent results with the Cr2+:ZnSe laser material are highlighted.