Recently, Professor Malte C Gather's group at the University of St Andrews, UK, obtained a kind of organic distributed feedback laser based on polymer film, unsupported and ultra-thin, through a simple manufacturing method. This laser is less than 500 nm, ultra-light (m/A < 0.5 gm-2), and has excellent mechanical flexibility. This work was published in Nature Communications under the title "Flexible and Ultra-Lightweight Polymer Membrane Lasers."

Figure 1. Thin Film Laser Fabrication and Physical Properties

(a). The laser array is immersed in water;

(b). The composition of the laser array;

(c). Graphic floating film

(d). Floating film

(e). Vertical laser emission of a second-order DFB laser film;

(f). Thin film laser maps;

Figure 2. Characterization of Thin Film Lasers

(a). Input-output properties of lasers of different materials;

(b). Emission spectra of thin-film lasers based on F80.9BT0.1;

(c). Spectral linewidth vs device input energy density;

(d). Near-field and far-field launches;

Figure 3. Application of Thin Film Laser Banknote Security

Figure 4. Thin Film Lasers for Wearable Safety Tags

summary

In this work, the authors reported that a simple distributed fabrication method was used to obtain a polymer distributed thin-film, unsupported and ultra-thin organic distributed feedback laser. This laser is less than 500 nm, ultra-light (m/A < 0.5 gm-2), and has excellent mechanical flexibility.