Ultrafast Spectroscopic Studies of Forster Energy Transfer in Semiconducting Polymer Blends: The Route to High Gain Materials for Low Threshold Polymer Lasers

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9812852HeegerThis project deals with the properties of semiconducting polymers used as laser materials. The goal of this research is to find ways and means to improve their performance to make them competitive with conventional GaInN light emitting diodes. Attempts made so far to make efficient diode lasers via direct electrical pumping by injecting electrons and holes from electrodes or by placing the polymer lasers monolithically onto a blue-emitting InGaN LED or laser which would be used to optically pump the polymer laser have not been successful owing to the fact that the lasing thresholds of the polymers are higher than the output of an InGaN LED or of the excitation level that can be achieved in polymer LEDs. To deal with these problems small amounts of a guest polymer will be blended in a host polymer in such a way that the Forster energy transfer will occur from the host to the guest emitter. The specific goal is to demonstrate and develop conjugated polymer blends as high gain/low loss laser materials and to optimize the Forster energy transfer from host to guest. Ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopy will be used to perform the measurements. This project offers excellent opportunities for the training of graduate students and post doctoral research associates in a field of growing technological importance. %%%This research deals with fundamental aspects of the energy transfer in polymeric materials to render them suitable as efficient lasers. The research involves graduate students and post doctoral research associates, whose training in a growing technological field prepares them for employment in forefront scientific and technical areas in the 21st Century. ***