Luminescent polymer optical fibers: gain spectroscopy and lasing

Takeyuki Kobayashi; Werner J. Blau; Hartwig Tillmann; Hans-Heinrich Hoerhold

doi:10.1117/12.475441

14 July 2003 Luminescent polymer optical fibers: gain spectroscopy and lasing

Takeyuki Kobayashi, Werner J. Blau, Hartwig Tillmann, Hans-Heinrich Hoerhold

Proceedings Volume 4991, Organic Photonic Materials and Devices V; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.475441
Event: Integrated Optoelectronics Devices, 2003, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

We report our investigation of light amplification and lasing in a glass-clad step-index polymer optical fiber that uses a novel blue-emitting stilbenoid compound. The compound, 1,4-bis(4-diphenylamino-styryl)-benzene, is designed and synthesized specifically for the blue region of the spectrum and has a high quantum yield of 0.85 in polystyrene and a relatively large Stokes shift of ~50 nm. The variable stripe length method is employed to deduce the net gain coefficient of a fiber doped with 0.2-wt. % of the compound. The gain spectroscopy has revealed a broad optical gain exceeding 25 cm^-1 and up to 36 cm^-1 at 494 nm that covers a wide spectral range of about 70 nm when the fiber is transversely photoexcited at 12 mJ/cm². An analysis shows that the saturation effect expected for homogeneously broadened gain accounts for the amplified spontaneous emission output behavior at longer excitation lengths. The linear waveguide loss is measured to be 0.7 cm^-1 at 494 nm. The large gain and the low waveguide loss have allowed the unequivocal demonstration of blue laser emission at 489 nm from the fiber (which is only 1.4 cm in length) in a very low finesse cavity defined by the Fresnel reflections at the fiber-air interfaces. The threshold for lasing is found to be 1.7 mJ/cm². The results presented here will open the door to the study and development of very compact polymer fiber lasers and amplifiers.

Citation Download Citation

Takeyuki Kobayashi, Werner J. Blau, Hartwig Tillmann, and Hans-Heinrich Hoerhold "Luminescent polymer optical fibers: gain spectroscopy and lasing", Proc. SPIE 4991, Organic Photonic Materials and Devices V, (14 July 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.475441

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