Both universities say that, so far, it has not been possible to produce an electrically pumped laser based on organic materials because they only have a limited capacity for charge transport.
Heidelburg’s Professor Jana Zaumseil says that, over the past few years, research has focused on laser like light emission of organic semiconductors based on light-matter coupling. “If photons and excitons (matter) interact sufficiently, they couple so strongly that they produce exciton-polaritons. These quasi-particles also emit light and ,under certain conditions, such emissions can take on the properties of laser light.
“Combined with sufficiently fast charge transport, exciton-polaritons could bring the production of an electrically pumped carbon-based laser within reach.”
The scientists in Heidelberg and St Andrews see their research results as an important step towards realising electrically pumped lasers based on organic semiconductors. Prof Zaumseil added: “Besides the potential generation of laser light, exciton-polaritons already allow us to vary the wavelength of the light emitted by the carbon nanotubes over a wide range in the near infrared.”
