Flexible, Transparent and Cost-Effective Lasers
October 25, 2019 | IMDEA NanocienciaEstimated reading time: 1 minute
A collaboration between IMDEA Nanociencia and Nanjing Tech University researchers produces flexible, transparent and cost-effective lasers.
The interest on plastic electronics and photonics has experienced a significant increase in the last decades due to the exceptional optical, semiconducting and mechanical properties of these materials. Plastic electronics, based on conjugated polymers, combine the benefits of cost-effective processability, compatible with large-area deposition for designing laser geometries of virtually any shape, not possible with rigid inorganic semiconductor materials. These highly luminiscent materials have been incorporated into a variety of resonator geometries, such as photonic crystals or distributed feedback (DBF) cavities, to enable optically pumped conjugated polymer lasers with emission across the visible and near-infrared spectrum.
A collaboration between IMDEA Nanociencia and Nanjing Tech University researchers have produced novel transparent, all-polymer DBF lasers. The DBF lasers make use of the periodic wavelength-scale nanostructures to backscatter photons for constructive interference. In their work, DBF structures were nanoimprinted on thermoplastic (cellulose diacetate) films and covered by highly luminescent conjugated polymers. In this way, the designed lasers present a homogeneous emission in the blue, green and red colors. Besides, the emission wavelength is tunable by bending the DBF flexible cavities.
The advantages of using thermoplastic materials such as cellulose diacetate as substrates are many: it is cheap, readily available, flexible and transparent even upon annealing. Also, cellulose diacetate is compatible with several organic solvents, it is obtained from renewable wood pulp and it is biodegradable. Researchers have demonstrated the robustness of their structures by assessing the lasing threshold values upon bending, confirming that the optical and structural properties of the active layer do not deteriorate.
The followed strategy is scalable and versatile. DBF lasers have currently a wide range of applications as mechanically flexible lasers, for instance, on lab-on-a-chip devices in biomedical analysis, information technology and sensing.
This work is a collaboration between the " Organic Photophysics and Photonics" group led by Juan Cabanillas, the "Nanostructured Functional Surfaces" group led by Isabel Rodríguez at IMDEA Nanociencia and Ruidong Xia from Nanjing Tech University, together with Daniel Granados and José C. Castro (IMDEA Nanociencia). The work has been partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness, the Regional Government of Comunidad de Madrid and the Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D, awarded to IMDEA Nanociencia.
Suggested Items
Groundbreaking Ceremony Marks the Beginning of a New Era for Newccess Industrial; The Construction of the MINGXIN Building
04/12/2024 | Newccess IndustrialOn a clear and sunny day in March, the groundbreaking ceremony for the MINGXIN Building took place in Shenzhen, China. This moment marked the official commencement of construction for a project that will reshape the semiconductor materials industry.
The Need for a Holistic Global Sustainability Standard
04/10/2024 | Michael Ford, Aegis SoftwareNo one can deny that the resources of our fragile planet are finite. The environment seems like a third party, subject to constant degradation. We’re acutely aware of the effects of pollution on our climate, and despite our “throw-away” culture, recycling and recovery of materials has remained relatively expensive, even as we use more energy just to survive.
iNEMI Publishes Four Roadmap Topics
04/04/2024 | iNEMIThe International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) announces the availability of the first roadmap topics in the new iNEMI Roadmap format. Printed circuit boards, sustainable electronics, smart manufacturing, and mmWave materials and test are now available online.
Insulectro’s 'Storekeepers' Extend Their Welcome to Technology Village at IPC APEX EXPO
04/03/2024 | InsulectroInsulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, welcomes attendees to its TECHNOLOGY VILLAGE during this year’s IPC APEX EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center, April 9-11, 2024.
Checking In With ICAPE Group
04/03/2024 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007ICAPE Group’s field application engineer Erik Pederson drills down on sustainability, supply chain resiliency, and what value engineering really looks like in this exclusive interview. Founded in 1999, European-based ICAPE Group provides 21 million printed circuit boards and over six million technical parts to manufacturers every month. With 30 PCB manufacturing partners globally and 50 partners providing a wide array of technical parts, ICAPE Group has operations in China, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, South Africa, Europe, Mexico, and the United States. The company also focuses on the value proposition for its customers.