Alumina particles doped in a polymer film act as scatterers for random laser generation

Lasing can be achieved with a system that has randomly distributed particles that act as scatterers in polymer films doped with laser dyes; a strict resonant cavity is not required. In this study, alumina particles and Rhodamine 6G dye were dispersed in polyvinyl pyrrolidone solutions as slurry to prepare thin films by a spin-coating method. These films were then pumped as a laser generator using a pulsed Nd:YLF laser. The results indicate that film thickness had an obvious affect on laser emission, and the lasing intensity increased with the pump energy, which tended to increase and then decrease with film thickness. An optical model based on the fabricated films was established to analyze light coupling with the films and possible distribution of light in films. (paper)