Toward Electrically Pumped Organic Lasers: A Review and Outlook on Material Developments and Resonator Architectures. Issue 5 (25th February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Qi; Tao, Wenwen; Huang, Jingsong; Xia, Ruidong; Cabanillas-Gonzalez, Juan
• Is Part Of: Advanced photonics research. Volume 2:Issue 5(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-02-25
• Subjects: continuous wave pumping -- electrically pumping -- laser resonators -- organic laser diodes -- organic semiconductors; Photonics -- Periodicals; 621.36505
• DOI: 10.1002/adpr.202000155
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2699-9293

Abstract

Abstract : Organic lasers have undergone decades of development. A myriad of materials with excellent optical gain properties, including small molecules, dendrimers, and polymers, have been demonstrated. Various resonator geometries have also been applied. While sharing the advantages of the solution processability and mechanical flexibility features of organic materials, organic optical gain media also offer interesting optical properties, such as emission tunability through chemical functionalization and inherent large optical gain coefficients. They offer prospects for different applications in the fields of bioimaging, medicine, chemo‐ and biosensing, anticounterfeit applications, or displays. However, the realization of electrically pumped organic lasers still remains a challenge due to the inherent drawbacks of organic semiconductors, e.g., modest carrier mobility, long‐lived excited‐state absorption, and extra losses which originate in the device (e.g., absorption from metal electrodes). Herein, the past developments of organic lasers are discussed, highlighting the importance of materials and cavities with regard to the goal of electrically pumped organic lasers. The latest progress and the possible ways to address the challenge are discussed. Abstract : Electrically pumped organic lasers remain the final goal for the organic laser researching community. Through years of efforts, the problems holding back the realization of lasing under current injection are now better understood by the scientists in the field. Although inspiring results have been reported in the recent years by some groups, theoretical and systematic obstacles are still there.