The mid-infrared (IR) spectral region from three to five microns is of interest in a number of applications that serve both civilian and military applications. These include chemical detection, communication, medical applications, and infrared countermeasures (IRCM). In order to serve the various application markets, optical sources must be tailored to meet certain requirements. For example, for chemical detection, narrow-linewidth operation at a specific wavelength is often desirable. A specific example here is detection of hydrocarbons near 3.4 microns. Other applications such as IRCM often require high-brightness broadband mid-IR sources.
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