Near-infrared imprinted distributed feedback lasers

The authors report on the fabrication and characterization of an organic distributed feedback laser operating in the near infrared. The device, fabricated by room-temperature nanoimprint lithography, is based on an organic dye hosted by a poly(methylmethacrylate) matrix. The laser emission from an imprinted 620 nm period grating is peaked at 918 nm with a linewidth of 8 A and a pumping threshold of 37 mu J/cm(2), and it is strongly polarized with a polarization contrast as high as 0.99. The lasing wavelength is tunable in the range of 890-930 nm by adjusting the grating period, and the operational lifetime is up to 6x10(3) excitation pulses in vacuum environment. These results demonstrate the possibility of realizing imprinted organic-based near-infrared lasers, thus approaching spectral regions relevant for optical communication applications. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.