Anisotropically Etched Si Mold for Solid Polymer Dye Microcavity Laser

A new method for solid polymer dye microcavity laser fabrication is described. The hexagonal prism-shaped cavity is fabricated using a mold of Si (111) wafer. Dry etching is used to form the main shape of the cavity, and subsequent anisotropic etching is applied for a short time to smooth the etched surface. The etchant used is ethylenediamine pyrocatechol and water. From this Si mold, an array of hundreds of microcavity replicas are obtained at once. The lasing from the fabricated cavities is confirmed by sharp peaks in the emission spectrum.