Ultrabroadband mid-infrared emission from Cr~(2+):ZnSe-doped chalcogenide glasses prepared via hot uniaxial pressing and melt-quenching

We reported an ultrabroadband mid-infrared (MIR) emission in the range of 1800 nm-3100 nm at room temperature (RT) from a Cr²⁺:ZnSe-doped chalcogenide glasses (ChGs) and studied the emission-dependent properties on the doping methods. A series of Cr²⁺:ZnSe/As₄₀S₅₇Se₃ (in unit wt.%) glass-ceramics were prepared by hot uniaxial pressing (HUP) and melt-quenching methods, respectively. The glass-ceramics with MIR emission bands greater than 1000 nm were successfully prepared by both methods. The effects of matrix glass composition and grain doping concentration on the optical properties of the samples were studied. The occurrence state, morphology of the grains, and the microscopic elemental distributions were characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analyses.