UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA

BACKGROUND

Conjugated polymers are a novel class of semiconductors that combine the properties of semiconductors with the processing advantages and mechanical properties of polymers. A variety of high-performance photonic devices fabricated from conjugated polymers have been demonstrated, including light-emitting diodes, light-emitting electrochemical cells, polymer grid triodes (a new architecture for plastic transistors), field-effect transistors, photovoltaic cells, photodetectors, and optocouplers; i.e. nearly all categories that characterize the field of photonic devices. In many cases, such polymer-based devices have reached performance levels comparable to, or even better than, their inorganic counterparts. Notably missing from this list, however, has been the category representing solid-state lasers.

DESCRIPTION

Scientists at the University of California have developed solid-state lasers based upon a class of semiconducting luminescent conjugated polymers. Thin films of conjugated polymers exhibit thresholds for amplified spontaneous emission as low as 100 W/cm². A variety of resonator structures have been utilized to enable polymer lasers, including the following: microcavity lasers, distributed feedback lasers, and "whispering gallery" mode lasers.

APPLICATIONS

The polymer-based lasers can take the form of a variety of devices, such as:

• Thin film lasers;
  
• Optically pumped lasers;
  
• Injection lasers;
  
• Light-emitting diodes;
  
• Light-emitting electrochemical cells.

ADVANTAGES

The conjugated polymer lasing layers are high gain low loss materials. They can exhibit gain narrowing and amplified spontaneous emission with thresholds as low as 100 W/cm².

Patent Status

Country	Type	Number	Dated	Case
United States Of America	Issued Patent	5,881,083	03/09/1999	1997-017

Inventors

• Diaz-Garcia, Maria A.
• Heeger, Alan J.
• Hide, Fumitomo
• Schwartz, Benjamin J.

Other Information

Contact

Daniel M. Sweeney / dsweeney@tia.ucsb.edu / tel: View Phone Number. Please reference Tech ID #10089.

ADDITIONAL TECHNOLOGIES BY THESE INVENTORS

• Self-Doped Conducting Polymers
• Injection Lasers Fabricated From Semiconducting Polymers
• Electronic Detection Of Molecular Targets, Including Proteins, Oligonucleotides And Other Small Molecules
• Water-Soluble ETL Polymers for LEDs
• Hybrid Inorganic Light-Emitting Devices
• Hybrid Polymer Light-Emitting Device
• Efficient Tandem Polymer Solar Cells Fabricated by All-Solution Processing

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• Donor-Acceptor Rod-Coil Diblock Copolymer based on P3HT containing fullerene (C¬60)
• Higher Purity Environment for the Ammonothermal Growth of Group III Nitrides