OPTICAL-PROPERTIES OF NONLINEAR-OPTICAL POLYMERS - A METHOD FOR CALCULATION

Methods for calculating the optical properties as a function of wavele ngth for second-order nonlinear optical polymers are presented. By com bining the optical properties of the individual components, that is, t hose of the polymer and those of the chromophore, one can determine th e real and the imaginary parts of the index of refraction and the seco nd hyperpolarizability as a function of wavelength for a composite pol ymer, for either a guest-host or a side-chain system. These properties are important for characterizing and applying nonlinear optical polym ers to devices. The methods allow for an accuracy in index of 3%, if t he wavelength range includes the main absorption band (with absorption maximum at lambda(max)) of the chromophore, and of 0.2% for wavelengt hs 400 nm and more to the long-wavelength side of lambda(max). In addi tion, if the index of the composite polymer is known at one specific w avelength on the long-wavelength side of lambda(max), the dispersion i n the index in this wavelength range can be predicted to within 0.1%. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.