Optical gain in conjugated polymer hybrid structures based on porous silicon waveguides

The fabrication and optical characterization of a hybrid waveguide formed by a MDMO-PPV semiconductor layer deposited on a porous silicon cladding is reported. Evidence of amplified spontaneous emission is observed when the intensity of the excitation pump pulses is higher than a certain threshold. A net gain coefficient of about 50 ± 8 cm−1 is estimated, which is similar to those reported for other PPV derivate conjugated polymers. The demonstration of positive optical gain in these hetero-structures is very promising because new photonic structures could be envisaged due to the versatility of the porous silicon cladding.