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We present a solid polymer dye laser based on a single-mode planar waveguide. The all-polymer device is self-contained in the photodefinable polymer SU-8 and may therefore easily be placed on any substrate and be integrated with polymer-based systems. We use as the active medium for the laser the commercially available laser dye Rhodamine 6G, which is incorporated into the SU-8 polymer matrix. The single-mode slab waveguide is formed by three-step spin-coating deposition: a buffer layer of undoped SU-8, a core layer of SU-8 doped with Rhodamine, and a cladding layer of undoped SU-8.

We present a polymer-based, microfluidic dye laser suitable for integration into polymer- or silicon-based lab-on-a-chip systems. The laser is fabricated by nanoimprint lithography (NIL) in cyclo-olefin copolymer (COC). The polymer device consists of microfluidic channels, with sizes ranging from several mm down to a few µm, and integrated optical waveguides to couple the light out of the structure, all fabricated in one single NIL step and with approximately 10 nm roughness. COC is a highly transparent, chemically resistant thermoplastic polymer optimal for the integration of microfluidic systems with optical elements. Rhodamine 6G dissolved in ethanol is used as an active medium in the laser, and the resonator is based on multiple reflections from a periodic structure of 16 µm wide, parallel microfluidic channels. Lasing from the device is observed at 577 nm, when optically pumped with a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser emitting at 532 nm, where Rhodamine 6G has its absorption maximum.