Processing of polymers for nonlinear optical devices

Nonlinear optics (NLO) is increasingly important for a variety of military and commercial needs ranging from new types of laser weapons to fiber optic communications networks, to optical computing applications. Rapid advances in optical phase conjugation, optical switching, and logic have demonstrated the enormous potential for practical applications with concurrent fast-paced materials development. Organic polymers such as rigid-rod polymers (also known as ordered polymers) and polyimides have the excellent intrinsic properties and tailorability to meet the requirements of a wide range of nonlinear optical devices. The research described in this manuscript is a multidisciplinary effort to target key applications and material and processing requirements for these polymers. This manuscript provides the framework for the applications development required for the rapidly growing field of NLO devices from ordered polymeric materials. It discusses the characterization of the linear and nonlinear optical properties of three materials, experimental approaches to observing optical bistability, and the demonstration of dispersive optical bistability.