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 620nm period grating is peaked at 918nm with a linewidth of 8Å and a pumping threshold of 37μJ∕cm2, and it is strongly polarized with a polarization contrast as high as 0.99. The lasing wavelength is tunable in the range of 890–930nm by adjusting the grating period, and the operational lifetime is up to 6×103 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.