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Sol–gel glass matrices in which organic laser dyes are embedded can be used as the gain medium in solid‐state, continuously tunable lasers. Such lasers are very simple to construct, and potentially very compact and efficient. Unlike the commonly used liquid dye laser systems, solid‐state dye lasers can be made mechanically robust and portable. In this article, the development of sol–gel/dye lasers, including the sol–gel technology, dye properties, and laser operation, is reviewed. In addition, new solid‐state hosts (such as polyurethane/silica ORMOSILs), additional organic dyes (cyanines), and new studies on the stability of the dyes are presented. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Organic‐inorganic sol‐gel composite incorporating highly emitting CdSe/ZnS quantum dots and CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum rods is reported. Optical gain measurements conducted on a quantum rod/sol‐gel composite film show stable room temperature amplified spontaneous emission under ambient conditions.

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