Optically active silica and polymeric materials for microcavity lasers and sensors

A. M Armani; N. Deka; S. Mehrabani; C. Shi; A. Maker; M. Lee; A. Kovach; E. Gungor; Kelvin Kuo; V. Diep

doi:10.1117/12.2074591

3 March 2015 Optically active silica and polymeric materials for microcavity lasers and sensors

A. M Armani, N. Deka, S. Mehrabani, C. Shi, A. Maker, M. Lee, A. Kovach, E. Gungor, Kelvin Kuo, V. Diep

Proceedings Volume 9343, Laser Resonators, Microresonators, and Beam Control XVII; 93430M (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2074591
Event: SPIE LASE, 2015, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Silica and silica-doped high quality factor (Q) optical resonators have demonstrated ultra-low threshold lasers based on numerous mechanisms (eg rare earth dopants, Raman). To date, the key focus has been on maintaining a high Q, as that determines the lasing threshold and linewidth. However, equally important criteria are lasing efficiency and wavelength. These parameters are governed by the material, not the cavity Q. Therefore, to fully address this challenge, it is necessary to develop new materials. We have synthesized a suite of silica and polymeric materials with nanoparticle and rare-earth dopants to enable the development of microcavity lasers with emission from the near-IR to the UV. Additionally, the efficiencies and thresholds of many of these devices surpass the previous work. Specifically, the silica sol-gel lasers are co- and tri-doped with metal nanoparticles (eg Ti, Al) and rare-earth materials (eg Yb, Nb, Tm) and are fabricated using conventional micro/nanofabrication methods. The intercalation of the metal in the silica matrix reduces the clustering of the rare-earth ions and reduces the phonon energy of the glass, improving efficiency and overall device performance. Additionally, the silica Raman gain coefficient is enhanced due to the inclusion of the metal nanoparticles, which results in a lower threshold and a higher efficiency silica Raman laser. Finally, we have synthesized several polymer films doped with metal (eg Au, Ag) nanoparticles and deposited them on the surface of our microcavity devices. By pumping on the plasmonic resonant wavelength of the particle, we are able to achieve plasmonic-enhanced upconversion lasing.

Citation Download Citation

A. M Armani, N. Deka, S. Mehrabani, C. Shi, A. Maker, M. Lee, A. Kovach, E. Gungor, Kelvin Kuo, and V. Diep "Optically active silica and polymeric materials for microcavity lasers and sensors", Proc. SPIE 9343, Laser Resonators, Microresonators, and Beam Control XVII, 93430M (3 March 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2074591

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
6 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Silica

Metals

Sol-gels

Optical microcavities

Polymers

Thulium

Laser damage threshold

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years