Intermediate high index layer for laser mode tuning in organic semiconductor lasers

We modified the optical properties of organic semiconductor distributed feedback lasers by introducing a high refractive index layer consisting of tantalum pentoxide between the substrate and the active material layer. A thin film of tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminium doped with the laser dye 4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran was used as the active layer. By varying the intermediate layer thickness we could change the effective refractive index of the guided laser mode and thus the laser wavelength. With this technique we were able to tune the laser emission range between 613 nm and 667 nm. For high index layer thicknesses higher than 40 nm the laser operated on the TE0-mode rather than the fundamental TE0-mode. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America