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Electrical tunable random laser emission from a liquid-crystal infiltrated disordered planar microcavity
Qinghai Song1, Liying Liu, Lei Xu
1State Key Lab for Advanced Photonic Materials and Devices, Department of Optical Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. qinghai.song@yale.edu
Optics Letters
|February 3, 2009
Summary
Researchers demonstrated electric-field-induced, tunable random lasing in a liquid-crystal microcavity. Applying voltage tuned the laser
Area of Science:
- Photonics and optical engineering
- Materials science
- Condensed matter physics
Background:
- Random lasing offers unique emission properties.
- Liquid crystals provide tunable optical characteristics.
- Disordered microcavities are key for random lasing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate electric-field-induced, wavelength-tunable random lasing.
- To explore the use of liquid-crystal infiltrated disordered microcavities.
- To demonstrate voltage-controlled tuning of random laser emission.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a disordered planar microcavity infiltrated with liquid crystals.
- Application of an external electric field across the microcavity.
- Spectroscopic analysis of the emitted light as a function of applied voltage.
Main Results:
- Successfully achieved electric-field-induced random lasing.
- Demonstrated continuous wavelength tuning of the random laser emission.
- Tuned emission from 648 nm to 597 nm by increasing voltage from 0 V to 30 V.
- Reversibly tuned emission back to 648 nm by reducing voltage.
Conclusions:
- Electric field provides an effective method for tuning random laser wavelengths.
- Liquid-crystal infiltrated disordered microcavities are suitable for tunable random lasing applications.
- This work opens possibilities for voltage-controlled tunable laser sources.
