Continuous-wave and broadly tunable Cr:ZnSe laser pumped by a short wavelength Tm:YLF bulk laser

We demonstrate, for the first time and to the best of our knowledge, a continuous-wave and broadly tunable Cr:ZnSe bulk crystal laser pumped by a Tm:YLF bulk laser with 1845 nm and 1887 nm wavelengths. We compare the output characteristics and wavelength-tuning properties of the continuous-wave operation at the two pump wavelengths. In the continuous-wave operation, the maximum output power is 1.79 W with a slope efficiency of 28.8%, which is achieved at the pump wavelength of 1887 nm. In addition, a tuning range of 700 nm (696 nm) from 2040 nm to 2736 nm by using a reflective diffraction grating is realized. To the best of our knowledge, this is the widest tuning range realized so far for Cr:ZnSe bulk crystal tuned by gratings.