Diode-pumped polymeric dye lasers operating at a pump power level of 10 mW

Abstract

We present a low-threshold vertical-cavity dye laser that is pumped by an InGaN laser diode. This vertical-cavity laser has a 1.2-μm -thick poly- N -vinylcarbazole active layer doped with coumarin 540A. The threshold pump power depended on the dye concentration and showed the minimum value of 16 mW /pulse with the dye concentration of 4.0%. Single-mode laser action is attained at around 550 nm and the output intensity decreases to half of the initial value after the emission of 8× 105 pulses. This concept helps to realize a highly compact dye laser that can be operated in the entire range of visible wavelengths. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.