Melt-processed all-polymer distributed Bragg reflector laser.
We have assembled and studied melt-processed all-polymer lasers comprising distributed Bragg reflectors that were fabricated in large sheets using a co-extrusion process and define the cavities for dye-doped compression-molded polymer gain core sheets. Distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) resonators consisting of 128 alternating poly(styrene) (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) layers were produced by multilayer co-extrusion. Gain media were fabricated by compression-molding thermoplastic host poly notmers doped with organic laser dyes. Both processing methods can be used in high-throughput roll-to-roll manufacturing. Optically pumped DBR lasers assembled from these components display single and multimode lasing in the reflection band of the resonators, with a slope efficiency of nearly 19% and lasing thresholds as low as 90microJ/cm(2). The lasing wavelength can be controlled via the layer thickness of the DBR resonator films, and variation of the laser dye. Studies of threshold and efficiency are in agreement with models for end-pumped lasers.
Singer
Kenneth D
KD
Case Western Reserve University, Department of Physics, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. kenneth.singer@case.edu
Kazmierczak
Tomasz
T
Lott
Joseph
J
Song
Hyunmin
H
Wu
Yeheng
Y
Andrews
James
J
Baer
Eric
E
Hiltner
Anne
A
Weder
Christoph
C
D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D004867:Equipment Design; D007834:Lasers; D008027:Light; D008422:Materials Testing; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000737:chemistry; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000737:chemistry; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D013499:Surface Properties; D014159:Transducers
D004396:Coloring Agents; D011108:Polymers; D011137:Polystyrenes; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate