PHOTOASSISTED POLING INDUCED 2ND-HARMONIC GENERATION WITH INPLANE ANISOTROPY IN AZOBENZENE CONTAINING POLYMER-FILMS

Photoassisted poling of azobenzene containing polymer films at room te mperature using polarized Ar+ laser beam as pump light was studied. Ir radiating the films with p-polarized pump light at an incident angle t o the normal during the poling process,second harmonic generation with in-plane anisotropy could be induced. Second order nonlinear optical coefficient, d(33), of the poled sample was measured to be 20 pm/V. Th e second harmonic generation properties induced by photoassisted polin g and thermal assisted poling were compared. (C) 1996 American Institu te of Physics.