Cr 2+ :ZnSe and Co 2+ :ZnSe saturable-absorber Q switches for 1.54-µm Er:glass lasers

Passive Q switching of Er:glass lasers has been demonstrated with Cr2+:ZnSe and Co2+:ZnSe saturable absorbers. A pulse duration of ?50 ns and an output pulse energy of 5 mJ were obtained with both Co:ZnSe and Cr:ZnSe passive shutters. A Q-switched conversion efficiency of as much as 26% was obtained for Cr:ZnSe. Theoretical modeling exhibits satisfactory agreement with experimental data.