Influence of index contrast in two dimensional photonic crystal lasers

The influence of index contrast variations for obtaining single-mode operation and low threshold in dye doped polymer two dimensional photonic crystal (PhC) lasers is investigated. We consider lasers made from Pyrromethene 597 doped Ormocore imprinted with a rectangular lattice PhC having a cavity in the middle of the crystal structure. We demonstrate that the index contrast, n(eff,high)/n(eff,low), is an essential parameter for achieving low threshold, and we identify a trade-off between low threshold and single-mode operation. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3443718]