Polydiacetylene "Alloys": Experiments Directed Toward Nonlinear Waveguiding In Langmuir-Blodgett Multilayer Films

Robert E. Schwerzel; Kevin B. Spahr; John P. Kurmer; Keith A. Ramsey

doi:10.1117/12.962120

15 January 1990 Polydiacetylene "Alloys": Experiments Directed Toward Nonlinear Waveguiding In Langmuir-Blodgett Multilayer Films

Robert E. Schwerzel, Kevin B. Spahr, John P. Kurmer, Keith A. Ramsey

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 1147, Nonlinear Optical Properties of Organic Materials II; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.962120
Event: 33rd Annual Technical Symposium, 1989, San Diego, United States

Abstract

The polydiacetylenes have received much attention in recent years because of their large non-resonant third-order nonlinear optical response and because of the flexibility they offer in designing tailored molecular structures for specific applications. However, the fabrication of these materials into device-quality thin films has proven to be difficult, largely because of their propensity for forming highly scattering polycrystalline solids (with the exception of the few soluble polydiacetylenes, such as 3- or 4-BCMU, which can be spin-coated by conventional techniques, albeit in the less-active yellow form of the polymer). We have addressed this problem by developing a family of polydiacetylene "alloys": polymers derived from mixtures of similar diacetylene monomers having identical positioning of the diacetylene unit within the hydrocarbon chain, but with different "head" groups that provide varying degrees of affinity to water. The rationale here has been to design mixtures that would form a uniform, quasi-amorphous monolayer on the water surface in Langmuir-Blodgett multilayer fabrication, and thus avoid the scattering losses associated with grain boundaries that form within the monolayer on the water surface. To date, multilayer films up to 0.4 um thick have been fabricated by this approach, and photolithographic techniques have been developed for patterning strips down to 4 um wide in the films, without converting the blue form of the polydiacetylene to the red form in the process. Moreover, high quality films of polydiacetylene have been deposited successfully onto curved surfaces, such as polycarbonate lens blanks, using these compositions.

Citation Download Citation

Robert E. Schwerzel, Kevin B. Spahr, John P. Kurmer, and Keith A. Ramsey "Polydiacetylene "Alloys": Experiments Directed Toward Nonlinear Waveguiding In Langmuir-Blodgett Multilayer Films", Proc. SPIE 1147, Nonlinear Optical Properties of Organic Materials II, (15 January 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.962120

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
8 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Multilayers

Personal digital assistants

Absorption

Polymers

Organic materials

Waveguides

Optical lithography

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years