Recent research has focused on developing low-bandgap polymers for harvesting solar energy, fine-tuning desirable properties including power conversion efficiency, carrier mobilities and broad light absorption. However, little attention has been paid to their nonlinear optical properties. We characterized the optical second harmonic generation of corona poled films of poly(cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b']dithiophen-4-ylidenedioctylmalonate). Despite being amorphous and lacking a typical donor-acceptor dye, these films display large nonlinear optical susceptibilities. Coupled with their stability and low absorption in the relevant wavelength region, these polymer films compare favorably to other materials. Our results show the promise of low-bandgap polymers for nonlinear optical applications.

Date Published: 7 October 2014
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 9181, Light Manipulating Organic Materials and Devices, 91810D (7 October 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2060189

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9181:
Light Manipulating Organic Materials and Devices
Jean-Michel Nunzi, Editor(s)