Solvent immersion nanoimprint lithography of fluorescent conjugated polymers

Solvent immersion imprint lithography (SIIL) was used to directly nanostructure conjugated polymer films. The technique was used to create light-emitting diffractive optical elements and organic semiconductor lasers. Gratings with lateral features as small as 70 nm and depths of ∼25 nm were achieved in poly(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl). The angular emission from the patterned films was studied, comparing measurement to theoretical predictions. Organic distributed feedback lasers fabricated with SIIL exhibited thresholds for lasing of ∼40 kW/cm², similar to those made with established nanoimprint processes. The results show that SIIL is a quick, convenient and practical technique for nanopatterning of polymer photonic devices.