Abstract
The use of a solid-state dye laser for commercial applications has been limited largely by the poor photostability of the gain medium. Techniques are examined to improve the photostability of Coumarin and Pyrromethene-BF2 567 (PM-567) laser dyes within xerogel and Polyceram hosts synthesized by sol-gel processing. The photochemical mechanisms by which laser dyes degrade are discussed and determined specifically for PM-567. PM-567 was determined to degrade both by photo-oxidation and acid degradation. Techniques for improving photostability are described from a molecular engineering perspective. These techniques include: covalently attaching the laser dye to the host; controlling the chemical environment of the dye; increasing dye caging by increasing the SiO2 content; removing porosity from the host; and incorporating additives such as hindered amine light stabilizers to minimize photodegradation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 141-152 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
Volume | 2986 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1997 |
Event | Solid State Lasers VI - San Jose, CA, United States Duration: Feb 10 1997 → Feb 11 1997 |
Keywords
- Antioxidants
- Photostability
- Polycerams
- Polydimethylsiloxa ne
- Porosity
- Pyrromethene-BF 567
- Sol-Gel
- Solid-State Dye Laser
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Computer Science Applications
- Applied Mathematics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering