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Microcavity effects and optically pumped lasing in single conjugated polymer nanowires

Nature Nanotechnology volume 2, pages 180–184 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Conjugated polymers have chemically tuneable opto-electronic properties and are easily processed, making them attractive materials for photonics applications1,2. Conjugated polymer lasers, in a variety of resonator geometries such as microcavity3, micro-ring4, distributed feedback5 and photonic bandgap6 structures, have been fabricated using a range of coating and imprinting techniques. Currently, one-dimensional nanowires are emerging as promising candidates for integrated, subwavelength active and passive photonic devices7,8,9,10. We report the first observation of optically pumped lasing in single conjugated polymer nanowires. The waveguide and resonator properties of each wire are characterized in the far optical field at room temperature. The end faces of the nanowire are optically flat and the nanowire acts as a cylindrical optical cavity, exhibiting axial Fabry–Pérot mode structure in the emission spectrum. Above a threshold incident pump energy, the emission spectrum collapses to a single, sharp peak with an instrument-limited line width that is characteristic of single-mode excitonic laser action.

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Figure 1: Microscopy images of nanowires.
Figure 2: Optical characteristics of nanowires.
Figure 3: Microcavity effects in single PFO nanowires.
Figure 4: Optically pumped single PFO nanowire laser.

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Acknowledgements

We thank D. Iacopino for assistance with SEM measurements. The support of the Irish HEA PRTLI Programme and IRCSET Embark Initiative as well as the European Union Sixth Framework Programme is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tyndall National Institute, Lee Maltings, Prospect Row, Cork, Ireland

    Deirdre O'Carroll & Gareth Redmond

  2. Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, Mainz, D-55128, Germany

    Ingo Lieberwirth

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  1. Deirdre O'Carroll
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Correspondence to Gareth Redmond.

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O'Carroll, D., Lieberwirth, I. & Redmond, G. Microcavity effects and optically pumped lasing in single conjugated polymer nanowires. Nature Nanotech 2, 180–184 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2007.35

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