Enhanced laser emission in opposite handedness using a cholesteric polymer film stack.

We demonstrate an enhanced circularly polarized laser emission whose handedness is opposite to the cholesteric helix by the stacked cholesteric polymeric films. The dye-doped right-handed cholesteric polymer film is sandwiched between a mirror and a cholesteric polymer reflector. Due to the stimulated amplification and light recycling effects, the original laser emission from the middle active layer is not only dramatically enhanced but also converted to a left-handed circularly polarized emission with high purity. Moreover, a single 15 mum dye-doped cholesteric film is found to lase more efficiently when the top side faces the pump source than when the bottom side does. This phenomenon is attributed to the band gap broadening of the bottom side.