Flexible and ultra-lightweight polymer membrane lasers.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29717120.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-03874-w and PMC identifier 5931618.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Organic semiconductors enable the fabrication of a range of lightweight and mechanically flexible optoelectronic devices. Most organic semiconductor lasers, however, have remained rigid until now, predominantly due to the need for a support substrate. Here, we use a simple fabrication process to make membrane-based, substrate-less and extremely thin (<500 nm) organic distributed feedback lasers that offer ultralow-weight (m/A<0.5 gm<sup>-2</sup>) and excellent mechanical flexibility. We show operation of the lasers as free-standing membranes and transfer them onto other substrates, e.g. a banknote, where the unique lasing spectrum is readily read out and used as security feature. The pump thresholds and emission intensity of our membrane lasers are well within the permissible exposures for ocular safety and we demonstrate integration on contact lenses as wearable security tags.