Cr:ZnSe as a luminescent concentrator.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics
• Laser Physics

Background:

• Luminescent concentrators (LCs) are optical devices that absorb and re-emit light, concentrating it onto a smaller area.
• Short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) light applications require efficient light management solutions.
• Developing novel materials for efficient SWIR emission is crucial for advanced optical systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the first chromium-doped zinc selenide (Cr:ZnSe) luminescent concentrator.
• To achieve high efficiency for SWIR emission using a novel LC material.
• To characterize the performance of the Cr:ZnSe LC in terms of output power and brightness.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a Cr:ZnSe luminescent concentrator.
• Optical pumping of the Cr:ZnSe material using a fiber-coupled laser diode at 1530 nm.
• Characterization of the emitted spectrum, output power, and brightness in the SWIR band.

Main Results:

• The Cr:ZnSe LC achieved the highest efficiency reported for SWIR-emitting LCs.
• An output power of 1.6 W was recorded.
• A broadband spectrum between 2.1 µm and 2.6 µm was emitted with a brightness of 5.4 W/cm²/sr.

Conclusions:

• The Cr:ZnSe material is a promising candidate for efficient SWIR luminescent concentrators.
• The simple setup using a fiber-coupled laser diode demonstrates a practical approach for LC implementation.
• This work sets a new benchmark for SWIR luminescent concentrator performance.