Vertically emitting, dye-doped polymer laser in the green (k 536 nm) with a second order distributed feedback grating fabricated by replica molding

Lasing in the green from a distributed feedback (DFB) structure, based upon a second order grating fabricated by replica molding in a dye-doped UV curable polymer, has been demonstrated. For a Bragg grating having a periodicity and depth of 360 ± 2 nm and 78 ± 5 nm, respectively, a coumarin 540-polymer laser operates at 535.6 nm, which is in agreement with calculations of the photonic band diagram for the structure. The fabricated laser exhibits a linewidth of 0.15 nm, a threshold pump fluence of 0.7 mJ cm 2 at 355 nm, and a slope efficiency of 14%. Incorporation of the dye gain medium into a one(or two-) dimensional photonic crystal and fabrication of the grating by replica molding at room temperature provides an inexpensive approach to fabricating polymer-based DFB lasers on flexible substrates of large area. 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.