Abstract

Conjugated organic polymers are promising nonlinear optical materials for high-speed photonic switching^1,5 and signal processing applications. For their potential use in light-control-by-light serial guided-wave wideband devices, large optical refractive nonlinearities^6,7, n₂, and ultrafast response times, τ, are widely recognized as important material parameters. However, low linear optical absorption, α, has received considerably less attention. In an optical device based upon a nonlinear refractive optical material, a large n₂/α is required to minimize the optical energy dissipated.

© 1988 Optical Society of America