Continuous-wave polymer lasers

A polymer host material based on a cycloaliphatic diepoxy cured with a fluorinated dianhydride has been developed. When activated with a Nd-doped complex, the typical absorption and emission lines of the Nd3+ ion are detected. Luminescence quenching owing to high-energy vibrations from O–H and C–H chemical bonds is eliminated by neutral ligands and by applying fluorinated chelates to the complex, respectively. Channel waveguides are fabricated from this active polymer by back-filling inverted channels patterned into a photo-definable cladding polymer. In this manner, the first rare-earth-ion-doped polymer waveguide laser as well as the first steady-state laser in a solid polymer is demonstrated, providing up to 440 μW of 1064-nm output power in stable operation over 2 hours. Also lasing at 873 nm is achieved.