Pyrromethene doped silica laser glasses by sol-gel processes

A new laser dye pyrromethene impregnated solid-state material has been deve loped for visible wavelength solid-state dye laser by means of a sol-gel pr ocess. The use of N,N'-dimethylformamide (DMF) as a drying control chemical additive was found to be effective in order to obtain the best quality sil ica and organically modified silicate (Ormosil) in terms of monolithicity, transparency and density. The addition of gamma -glycidyl-propyl-trimethoxi silane (GPTMS) in Ormosil can efficiently increase the luminescent emission intensity. Using these new materials as laser gain media, an all-solid-sta te, efficient, compact, long-lifetime and tunable dye laser has been demons trated. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.