Random lasers from photonic crystal wings of butterfly and moth for speckle-free imaging

Opt Express. 2021 Jan 18;29(2):2065-2076. doi: 10.1364/OE.414334.

Abstract

Several biological membranes have been served as scattering materials of random lasers, but few of them include natural photonic crystals. Here, we propose and demonstrate a facile approach to fabricating high-performance biological photonic crystal random lasers, which is cost-effective and reproducible for mass production. As a benchmark, optical and lasing properties of dye-coated Lepidoptera wings, including Papilio ulysses butterfly and Chrysiridia rhipheus moth, are characterized and show a stable laser emission with a superior threshold of 0.016 mJ/cm2, as compared to previous studies. To deploy the proposed devices in practical implementation, we have applied the as-fabricated biological devices to bright speckle-free imaging applications, which is a more sustainable and more accessible imaging strategy.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Butterflies / anatomy & histology*
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Crystallization / methods
  • Crystallography / methods
  • Lasers
  • Light
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Models, Biological
  • Moths / anatomy & histology*
  • Optics and Photonics
  • Scattering, Radiation
  • Surface Properties
  • Wings, Animal / diagnostic imaging*