Enhancement of electro-optic coefficient of doped films through optimization of chromophore environment

Michael J. Banach; Max D. Alexander Jr.; Stephen J. Caracci; Richard A. Vaia

doi:10.1117/12.348389

18 May 1999 Enhancement of electro-optic coefficient of doped films through optimization of chromophore environment

Michael J. Banach, Max D. Alexander Jr., Stephen J. Caracci, Richard A. Vaia

Proceedings Volume 3623, Organic Photonic Materials and Devices; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.348389
Event: Optoelectronics '99 - Integrated Optoelectronic Devices, 1999, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Substantial enhancement of the electro-optic (EO) coefficient of NLO films through optimization of host properties and local chromophore environment is discussed. The EO coefficient was determined for common electro-optic chromophores disperse Red 1 (DR1) and 4-(dicyanomethylene)- 2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostryl)-4H-pyran (DCM) doped in poly(styrene) (PS), poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (P2VP), poly(methyl methacrylate((PMMA), poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate), and styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymers. The r₃₃ varied as much as tow orders of magnitude in this series. Resonance enhancement and local field effects account for 20-25 percent of this variation. The remainder is attributed to intermolecular interactions. Electronic and IR spectroscopy revealed the presence of specific secondary interactions between chromophore-host and chromophore- chromophore. These influence the molecular miscibility and thus alter the effective chromophore concentration and therefore the EO coefficient. Additionally, synergy between the chromophore and a field-responsive host facilitates chromophore alignment. A combination of these effects observed in a DR1-P2VP system leads to an enhancement in r₃₃ by greater than 70 percent with respect to a comparable DR1-PMMA system. An ultimate EO coefficient of 15 pm/V for a 25 wt percent DR1-P2VP system was obtained. These results demonstrate the potential associated with modification of guest-host interactions for the development of highly nonlinear, stable EO polymer systems.

Citation Download Citation

Michael J. Banach, Max D. Alexander Jr., Stephen J. Caracci, and Richard A. Vaia "Enhancement of electro-optic coefficient of doped films through optimization of chromophore environment", Proc. SPIE 3623, Organic Photonic Materials and Devices, (18 May 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.348389

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