Whispering-gallery-mode microdisk lasers produced by femtosecond laser direct writing

We report in this Letter fabrication of whispering-gallery-mode microdisk lasers by femtosecond laser direct writing of dye-doped resins. Not only is well-defined disk shape upheld on an inverted cone-shaped supporter, but the disk also exhibits significant lasing actions characteristic of an abrupt increase of light output and the significant narrowing of the spectral lines when the threshold is approached. This work shows that the laser micronanofabrication technology is not only applicable to passive micro-optical components, but also it may play an important role in fabrication of active optoelectronic devices and their integrated photonic circuits. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America