Nanoimprinted polymer photonic crystal dye lasers

Optically pumped polymer photonic crystal band-edge dye lasers are presented. The photonic crystal is a rectangular lattice providing laser feedback as well as an optical resonance for the pump light. The lasers are defined in a thin film of photodefinable Ormocore hybrid polymer, doped with the laser dye Pyrromethene 597.

A compact frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser (352 nm, 5 ns pulses) is used to pump the lasers from above the chip. The laser devices are 450 nm thick slab waveguides with a rectangular lattice of 100 nm deep air holes imprinted into the surface. The 2-dimensional rectangular lattice is described by two orthogonal unit vectors of length a and b, defining the P and X directions.

The frequency of the laser can be tuned via the lattice constant a (187 nm - 215 nm) while pump light is resonantly coupled into the laser from an angle () depending on the lattice constant b (355 nm). The lasers are fabricated in parallel on a 10 cm diameter wafer by combined nanoimprint and photolithography (CNP).

CNP relies on a UV transparent quartz nanoimprint stamp with an integrated metal shadow mask. In the CNP process the photonic crystal is formed by mechanical deformation (imprinting) while the larger features are defined by UV exposure through the combined mask/mold.