title: Microcavity Laser Based on a Single Molecule Thick High Gain Layer.
abstract: The ability to confine excitons within monolayers has led to fundamental investigations of nonradiative energy transfer, super-radiance, strong light-matter coupling, high-efficiency light-emitting diodes, and recently lasers in lateral resonator architectures. Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), in which lasing occurs perpendicular to the device plane, are critical for telecommunications and large-scale photonics integration, however strong optical self-absorption and low fluorescence quantum yields have thus far prevented coherent emission from a monolayer microcavity device. Here we show lasing from a monolayer VCSEL using a single molecule thick film of amphiphilic fluorescent dye, assembled via Langmuir-Blodgett deposition, as the gain layer. Threshold was observed when 5% of the molecules were excited (4.4 μJ/cm2). At this level of excitation, the optical gain in the monolayer exceeds 1056 cm-1. High localization of the excitons in the VCSEL gain layer can enhance their collective emission properties with Langmuir-Blodgett deposition presenting a paradigm for engineering the high gain layers on the molecular level.
authors.affiliation: Bar-Ilan University , Ramat-Gan 5920002, Israel.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9049-7281
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palatnik
authors.affiliation: Bar-Ilan University , Ramat-Gan 5920002, Israel.
authors.forename: Hagit
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aviv
authors.affiliation: Bar-Ilan University , Ramat-Gan 5920002, Israel.
authors.forename: Yaakov R
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8016-538X
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Tischler
keywords: dye lasers; microcavities; monolayers; organic materials