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, Perylene red, and Perylene orange in inorganic porous sol-gel glass, poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA), a composite of porous sol-gel glass with PMMA and organically modified silicate ormosil glass. Lasers were excited with a flash-lamp-pumped dye laser in the long-pulse-length regime (3 µs, 506 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 feasibility of long-pulse-length operation is demonstrated, detailed characteristics of short-pulse operation are described, and laser damage measurements are given. The nonpolar perylene dyes had better performance in partially organic hosts, and the ionic rhodamine and pyrromethene dyes performed best in the inorganic sol-gel glass host.