Abstract

The knowledge of the nonlinear optical properties of organic polymers has reached a stage of maturity after a couple of decades of intense investigations. In particular the second order nonlinear optical properties of poled polymer films have been widely explored; their application targets in integrated optoelectronics start to be met, opening the way to a whole generation of high frequency electro-optic modulators. However, in order to make these materials really applicable in the manifacturing of long living and reliable devices, a serie of problems still have to be completetely solved. In particular the temporal stability of the orientational distribution of the nonlinear guest chromophores, the chromophores’ chemical stability under intense illumination conditions and the presence of parasitic χ⁽³⁾ contributions to the second order nonlinear optical response.

© 1998 IEEE