Controlled Outcoupling of Whispering-Gallery-Mode Lasers Based on Self-Assembled Organic Single-Crystalline Microrings

Nano Lett. 2019 Feb 13;19(2):1098-1103. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b04402. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Abstract

The outcoupling of whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) lasers is crucial for the realization of various photonic functionalities, yet present material structures still suffered the unexpected surface damages or contaminations in the multistep micro/nanofabrications. Here, we propose a strategy to achieve controlled outcoupling of WGM lasers in self-assembled organic single-crystalline microrings. The microrings with molecular-smooth surfaces functioned as organic crystalline whispering-gallery-mode microlasers with a lasing threshold of ∼14.2 μJ cm-2 and a quality factor on the order of 103 to 104. The circular self-assembly allowed us to design different derived ring-based structures toward desired outcoupling of the WGM lasers, including unidirectional laser output from wire-ring coupled structures, and single-mode lasing in double-ring coupled systems. The results would provide an alternative avenue to construct versatile organic nanoscale lasers and related components with specific photonic applications.

Keywords: Moleular self-assembly; WGM laser; organic laser; organic nanophotonics.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't