COMPARISON OF LASER PERFORMANCE OF DYE MOLECULES IN SOL-GEL, POLYCOM,ORMOSIL, AND POLY(METHYL METHACRYLATE) HOST MEDIA

Laser performance is described for Rhodamine 590, Pyrromethene 567, Pe rylene red, and Perylene orange in inorganic porous sol-gel glass, pol y (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), a composite of porous sol-gel glass wi th PMMA and organically modified silicate ormosil glass. Lasers were e xcited with a flash-lamp-pumped dye laser in the long-pulse-length reg ime (3 mu s, 586 nm, 300 mJ) and a second-harmonic Nd:YAG laser in the short-pulse-length regime (6 or 15 ns, 532 nm, 60 mJ). The feasibilit y of long-pulse-length operation is demonstrated, detailed characteris tics of short-pulse operation are described, and laser damage measurem ents are given. The nonpolar perylene dyes had better performance in p artially organic hosts, and the ionic rhodamine and pyrromethene dyes performed best in the inorganic sol-gel glass host. (C) 1995 Optical S ociety of America