Laser phenomena in DCEL of ZnS:Cu:Nd:Cl thin films

The possibility of the occurrence of laser phenomena in the DCEL of thin films of ZnS:Cu:Nd:Cl, designed for display purposes, has been investigated. Evidence of stimulated emission at ～ 1080 nm has been found in both DCEL and cathodoluminescence emission of the films and has been attributed to a tendency to population inversion involving the ${}^4\text{F}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>2</mtext><mtext>3</mtext>}}$ energy level and a sub-level of the ${}^4\text{I}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>11</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$ energy level. In addition, the expected directional nature of the stimulated emission has been shown to be present at the higher applied voltages.