Results obtained recently demonstrate that many organic molecules can be designed to provide nonlinear susceptibilities far larger than lithium niobate. These molecules may be attached to polymer chains to create large area films with good mechanical properties as well as the required optical performance. Applications that have been predicted include second harmonic generation, optical modulation, optical switching, and memories. For these hopes to reach fruition, highly ordered polymer films incorporating these molecules must be fabricated. Among the most promising techniques being pursued is the Langmuir-Blodgett deposition technique in which monolayers can be extracted from a water subphase onto a substrate. Interleaving film materials permits the creation of multiple layer systems between 5Å and 5000Å in thickness. In this paper, we review both the research directed toward molecular design and the efforts to grow multilayer crystalline polymer films.

Date Published: 4 March 1986
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 0567, Advances in Materials for Active Optics, (4 March 1986); doi: 10.1117/12.949830

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0567:
Advances in Materials for Active Optics
Solomon Musikant, Editor(s)