Edge-emitting vertically aligned ZnO nanorods random laser on plastic substrate

Random laser action with in-plane coherent feedback has been realized in vertically aligned ZnO nanorods on plastic substrate. A polycarbonate substrate coated with a thin layer of ZnO template was used to grow the nanorods by an aqueous chemical method. It can be shown that there are some restrictions on the dimensions of the ZnO template and nanorods that can be used to achieve in-plane random lasing action. Furthermore, the lasing characteristics of the ZnO nanorods under deformation (i.e., bending the substrate) are investigated. It is found that the lasing performance of the ZnO nanorods on plastic substrate depends on the direction of bending.