Applied Physics B

, Volume 109, Issue 1, pp 159–163 | Cite as

Unique spatial continuously tunable cone laser based on a dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystal with a birefringence gradient

  • Chia-Rong Lee
  • Shih-Hung Lin
  • Jia-De Lin
  • Ting-Shan Mo
  • Chie-Tong Kuo
  • Shuan-Yu Huang
Article

Abstract

The present study develops and investigates for the first time a unique spatial continuously tunable cone laser based on a dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystal (DDCLC) film with an LC-birefringence (Δn) gradient. A continuous Δn variation can be generated in a cell by diffusion and self-organization of CLC after four DDCLC mixtures with a discrete variation of Δn are successively injected into an empty cell. Not only the CLC photonic structure but also the lasing wavelength and the cone angle of the obtained conically symmetric emitted lasing ring can be tuned continuously by continuously changing the pumped position of the cell with an Δn gradient. The continuous tunabilities in the lasing wavelength and the corresponding emitted cone angle of the lasing ring are 605.8 → 568.1 nm and 29° → 50°, respectively, within a spatial interval of about 33 mm in the cell.

Keywords

Lasing Ring Oblique Angle Cell Position Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Lasing Signal 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Notes

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the National Science Council of the Republic of China in Taiwan (Contract No. NSC 100-2112-M-006-012-MY3) and the Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng Kung University, under projects from the Ministry of Education, for the financial support. We greatly appreciate the editorial assistance extended by KGSupport.

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  • Chia-Rong Lee
    • 1
  • Shih-Hung Lin
    • 1
  • Jia-De Lin
    • 1
  • Ting-Shan Mo
    • 2
  • Chie-Tong Kuo
    • 3
  • Shuan-Yu Huang
    • 4
    • 5
  1. 1.Department of Photonics and Advanced Optoelectronic Technology CenterNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainanTaiwan
  2. 2.Department of Electronic EngineeringKun Shan University of TechnologyTainanTaiwan
  3. 3.Department of Physics and Center for Nanoscience and NanotechnologyNational Sun Yat-sen UniversityKaohsiungTaiwan
  4. 4.School of OptometryChung Shan Medical UniversityTaichungTaiwan
  5. 5.Department of OphthalmologyChung Shan Medical University HospitalTaichungTaiwan

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