HighGain LongLived Amplified Spontaneous Emission from DyeDoped Fluorinated Polyimide Planar Waveguides

Longlived amplified spontaneous emission ASE action is demonstrated in waveguides based in transparent newly synthesized fluorinated polyimides FPI doped with laser dye Pyrromethene 597. Relevant parameters to optimize the lasing performance of the guides are the polymer chain density and fluorine content. The guide with the higher fluorine content was the most stable, with the ASE emission remaining at 50 of its initial value after 40 000 pump pulses of 220 kW · cm−2delivered at a repetition rate of 5 Hz. Net gains of up to 93 cm−1were obtained at a pump intensity of about 500 kW · cm−234 µJ pulse−1.