In this paper, a wavelength tunable colloidal-crystal laser with monodispersed silica particles was demonstrated. Silica particles were synthesized through the modified Stöber process and self-assembled into the colloidal photonic-crystal structure, which was then used to form the optic cavity of a wavelength tunable laser device. Due to Bragg's diffraction of the colloidal photonic-crystal and the coffee ring effect, the forbidden energy gap of light varied with different lattice sizes at different positions of the colloidal photonic-crystal. When the pumping pulsed laser irradiated on the gain medium of the sample, the fluorescence was restricted and enhanced by the colloidal photonic-crystal. Lasing emission with a single peak occurred when the energy of the pumping laser exceeded the threshold energy. The threshold energy and the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the proposed laser were 7.63 µJ/pulse and 2.88 nm, respectively. Moreover, the lasing wavelength of the colloidal photonic-crystal laser could be tuned from 604 nm to 594 nm, corresponding to the various positions in the sample due to the coffee ring effect.
Keywords: Stöber process; colloidal-crystal laser; self-assemble; silica particles; wavelength tunable.