Transparent glass ceramics have a wide traditional spectrum of applications. Possibility to dope these materials with rare-earth and transition-metal ions provides their perspectives as lasing media. Near-zero thermal expansion coefficient, high thermal stability and thermal conductivity together with flexibility of synthesis procedure make glass ceramics as a material of choice in comparison with crystalline media. Our paper presents stimulated emission properties of zinc- and magnesium- aluminosilicate glass ceramics doped with different concentrations of cobalt ions.
It is shown that the absorption and luminescence properties of these glass ceramics are defined mainly by tetrahedrally coordinated Co²⁺ ions located in ZnAl₂O₄ gahnite and MgAl₂O₄ spinel nanocrystals, respectively, formed in glass ceramic matrix during double-stage thermal treatment procedure.
The studied glass ceramics have broad and intensive luminescence band in visible due to ⁴T₁(⁴P)→⁴А₂ transition of Co²⁺ ions. Luminescence decay time has considerable dependence on cobalt ions concentration and varies from 90 to 280 ns for 0.5 and 0.1 weight % of CoO in zinc-aluminosilicate glass ceramics, respectively. Magnesium-aluminosilicate glass ceramics shows less pronounced variation in luminescence decay time – from 25 to 40 ns for the same change of cobalt concentration.
Differential transmission spectra measurements after pump at 532 nm allow to register stimulated emission of cobalt ions in the range around 650-700 nm. Values of stimulated emission cross-sections in this spectral range were evaluated and for cobalt ions in zinc- aluminosilicate glass ceramics they are as high as 2-5 10^-19 cm².
Perspectives of cobalt-doped glass ceramics as laser active media are analyzed taking into account various synthesis conditions of these materials.

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