This paper describes the results of an investigation of the interrelated physical parameters that determine laser threshold for three organic dyes: rhodamine B, rhodamine 6G, and fluorescein. Not only are these dyes (rhodamine 6G in particular) among the most widely used and important laser dyes, but insights into the threshold condition derived from our studies of these particular dyes should be generally applicable to future dye laser research. Our detailed characterization of threshold for these dyes and our novel insights result from the use of triplet state spectral data in a thorough and quantitative way for the first time, coupled with the physically realistic approximation that the triplet population is proportional to the singlet excited state population. For the case of self-tuning of the laser emission wavelength, solutions to the threshold equations are presented that establish relations between all the parameters affecting lasing: critical inversion, emission wavelength, extrinsic losses, dye concentration, length of active medium, and triplet to excited singlet population ratio. For reasonably high extrinsic cavity losses, the critical inversion is a simple power law function of extrinsic loss, and the emission wavelength is self-tuned in such a manner that the ratio of extrinsic losses to intrinsic singlet absorption losses is substantially constant. There exists a region of low, but still physically realizable, cavity losses, where laser action is determined exclusively by intrinsic characteristics of the dyes (triplet absorption, singlet emission, and absorption). Asymptotic limits on the maximum wavelength of emission and on the minimum critical inversion appear in this region, beyond which there is no point in reducing extrinsic cavity losses. The fraction of triplet state molecules also determines long wavelength cutoffs for an externally tuned laser. Methods are outlined for measuring the ratio of triplet state to excited singlet state populations for dyes with known triplet absorption spectra and for determining semiquantitatively the triplet effects in dyes where this information is not known. A final interesting conclusion is that molecular modifications of rhodamine 6G cannot be expected to improve its threshold characteristics as a laser dye by much more than a factor of 4.

We have investigated the role of heavy metals in causing visible pixel defects in Charge Coupled Device (CCD) image sensors. Using a technique we call dark current spectroscopy, we can probe for deep-level traps in the active areas of completed image sensors with a sensitivity of 1 × 109 traps/cm3 or better. Analysis of histograms of dark current images from these sensors shows that the presence of traps causes quantization in the dark current. Different metal traps have characteristic dark current generation rates that can identify the contaminant trap. By examining the temperature dependence of the dark current generation, we have calculated the energy levels and generation cross sections for gold, iron, nickel, and cobalt. Our results show the relationship of these traps to the “white spot” defects reported for image sensors.

The optical spectra of a number of organic compounds have been examined in low-temperature, glassy solutions. According to the experimental conditions of excitation, a given sample can yield either the usual broad bands complete with Stokes shift or a set of very narrow fluorescence lines (~1 cm-1). Our comparisons of these two distinct types of spectra from the same sample make it possible to explain such features of the conventional spectra as their broad bandwidths, peak positions, and Stokes shifts.

We have extended by five the number of deep-level traps known to create dark current in charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensors. These include Mn, Pt, and three much weaker traps that are as yet unidentified. Using dark current spectroscopy (DCS) we show that the generation rates at 55°C range from 6400 electrons/s for Mn to only 2 electrons/s for the weakest trap, which lies 0.27 eV off mid-gap. These weak traps determine the bandwidths and resolution of the trap peaks seen in the dark current spectra.