Active media based on polyurethane doped with a binary dye mixture

Abstract

Subject and Purpose. The article is concerned with the spectral-luminescent and lasing characteristics of the radiation from solid-state active media based on polyurethane activated by a binary mixture of dyes. The purpose of these studies is to demonstrate a possibility of the spectral range expansion of the emission from solid-state dye lasers with polyurethane active elements. Methods and Methodology. Specially prepared samples of polyurethane active media having the same donor (Rhodamine 6G) concentration but various acceptor (Sulforhodamine 101) concentrations are experimentally studied for their spectral-luminescent and lasing characteristics. Results. The main spectroscopic characteristics of Rhodamine 6G and Sulforhodamine 101 in polyurethane have been measured, the nonradiative energy transfer parameters in this molecular pair estimated. It has been demonstrated that the matrix emission spectrum can be purposefully transformed by selection of relative concentrations of dyes in the mixture. In a broadband resonator, either a single- or two-band emission with different positions and various intensities of spectral bands is observed depending on the acceptor concentration. In a dispersive resonator under the same conditions, the tuning range of the lasing spectrum expands and extends to the longer wavelengths. Conclusion. The prospects of using donor-acceptor dye mixtures for improving spectral characteristics of polyurethane active elements in solid-state dye lasers have been confirmed. It has been shown that signatures of the emission characteristics of these media are governed by the mechanism of the excitation energy transfer between dye molecules. Lasing has been obtained on polyurethane matrices with the emission wavelength tuning throughout the “green-red” region of the spectrum.