| abstract |
Solid state lasers based upon conjugated polymers are disclosed. A conjugated polymer useful in the practice of this invention is a conjugated polymer which has a ground state and an excited state and which, in the form of a nondiluted thin film, meets the criteria of; i. having a strong absorption in the ground state with an absorption coefficient of at least about 104 cm-1 and an absorption depth not greater than about 1 mu m, ii. having an efficient luminescence emission from the excited state; this emission being shifted to lower energy relative to the ground state absorption, and iii. providing stimulated emission which is not overwhelmed by photoinduced absorption, such that the thin film exhibits gain narrowing and amplified spontaneous emission. These conjugated polymers have gain lengths in the micron or even sub-micron regime and therefore exhibit laser action with low pumping threshold as thin solid films with thicknesses in the micron or even sub-micron regime. |