Microlaser Array Using Ion-Doped Polymer Waveguide Resonators

Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes a drastically new ion-doped graded index (GRIN) polymer waveguide laser. Due to the GRIN property, such a waveguide laser can be fabricated on any substrate of interest. The existence of ion-doped waveguide lasers on various amorphous glass substrates and single crystal LiNbO3 implies that metastable states do exist for an array of host microstructures. The O-H-group quenchers, which jeopardize the lifetime of metastable states, can be eliminated through the dehydration process after the ions, such as Er+++ and Nd+++, have been implemented. Single-mode waveguides provide better gain due to their high optical energy confinement. A stable waveguide resonator is provided by recording a narrow-band holographic rejection filter which also functions as the single longitudinal-mode selector. Longitudinal pumping significantly reduces the size and therfore the cost of the microlaser array. Long interaction length of longitudinal pumping ensures a high absorption rate of the photons generated from the semiconductor pumping laser. Finally, the problem of excited state absorption (ESA) can be eliminated by detuning the pumping wavelength away from the center of the ground-state absorption feature. The feasibility of the proposed Er+++ and Nd+++-doped GRIN polymer waveguide lasers will be demonstrated in Phase I.