Spatially resolved lasers using a glassy cholesteric liquid crystal film with lateral pitch gradient

Abstract

To fabricate spatially resolved glassy cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) lasers, a lateral pitch gradient was introduced by thermally activated diffusion across the interface of two films comprising nematic and cholesteric oligofluorene doped with a red-emitting oligifluorene. The formation of spatially resolved Grandjean–Cano bands was accountable by strong surface anchoring at substrates and the qualitative chiral concentration profile. Across each band there was a common stop band, and a set of bands produced multiple lasing peaks across the spectral range determined by light-emitter’s fluorescence spectrum. The resultant lasing thresholds, 6.6–7.6 mJ/cm2, and slope efficiencies, 0.2%–1.5%, are superior to those reported to date for gradient-pitch CLC lasers.