Organic optofluidic devices produced by femtosecond laser micromachining

Abstract

We report on innovative application of microchannels, fabricated by femtosecond laser irradiation followed by chemical etching. This technique allows us to demonstrate a novel approach to the achievement of organic photonic devices, where the unique properties of a conjugated polymer in solution are exploited in a microfluidic configuration in order to produce an easy-to-integrate photonic device. Filling the microchannel with a diluted polyfluorene solution and by dispersing nanoparticles in the solution we are able to achieve random lasing in the microchannel.