IMPROVED POLING AND THERMAL-STABILITY OF SOL-GEL NONLINEAR-OPTICAL POLYMERS

An aminosulfone dye chromophore was covalently incorporated into a sol -gel network for second-order nonlinear optics applications by functio nalizing both ends of the chromophore. Covalent incorporation allows f or high chromophore loading densities (similar to 35%) and locking in both ends of the chromophore improves thermal stability. Short term st ability of the nonlinearity at 200 degrees C and long term stability o ver 500 h at 100 degrees C was demonstrated. Two different temperature profiles for corona poling were investigated and one found superior t o the other. A second harmonic coefficient, d(33) of 27 pm/V at the 10 64 nm fundamental wavelength was measured. (C) 1994 American Institute of Physics.