Material and device related properties in the context of the possible making of electrically pumped polymer laser

It has been shown that conjugated polymers possess the two basic requirements for electrically pumped lasers: (1) they can support optically-pumped lasing, and (2) they can support current densities of kA/cm(2). However, electrically pumped lasing has not been realised yet. The above-mentioned prerequisites are sufficient when traditional III-V lasers are concerned. However, conjugated polymers are in many ways different and hence require a slightly modified emphasis. We wilt discuss materials related issues such as charge-induced absorption, charge-mobility, exciton generation, as well as device-related properties such as architecture and driving scheme. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.