Diode-pumped distributed-feedback dye laser with an organic–inorganic microcavity

We present a diode-pumped microcavity dye laser composed of a top organic reflector and a bottom inorganic reflector. The top organic reflector consists of alternate thin films of cellulose acetate and poly(N-vinylcarbazole) doped with coumarin 540A to construct a distributed-feedback (DFB) resonator. Pumped directly by an InGaN-based blue laser diode (LD) with a pulse duration of 4 ns, the microcavity dye laser exhibited a single-mode oscillation at 563 nm with a threshold pump LD power of 290 mW/pulse. The emission of the microcavity dye laser was measured through an optical fiber, resulting in a peak power of 2.5 mW for a pump LD power of 320 mW.