Nanoimprinted circular grating distributed feedback dye laser

The authors demonstrate an optically pumped surface emitting polymer dye laser fabricated by nanoimprint lithography. The laser is based on an organic dye hosted within a poly(methylmethacrylate) matrix coated on a transparent substrate, and the laser cavity consists of a second order circular grating distributed feedback structure. The authors achieved lasing at 618 nm with 0.18 nm linewidth and 1.31 mu J/mm(2) pump threshold. The nanoimprinted solid-state dye laser offers a low-cost coherent light source for laboratory-on-chip spectroscopy systems. The laser also has a low pump threshold and a geometry well matched to light-emitting diode pump sources, which provide an interesting alternative for constructing portable polymer laser devices. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.