Xinshi Luo

In Situ Second Harmonic Generation in Disperse Red 1-Doped Polymer and Sol-Gel Films

ABSTRACT We investigated linear optical and second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of films of poly(bisphenol A carbonate) resin, and a newly synthesised titania/silica/hybrid sol-gel polymer resin doped with Disperse Red 1 (DR1) molecular chromophore. DC electric field induced second harmonic generation (SHG) technique has been used to monitor in situ the polar alignment and relaxation of orientation of the guest molecules in the corona-poled films. The temporal behaviour of the second harmonic signal was remarkably different in these two polymers both during poling and when the poling field was turned off. A fast decay of the second harmonic intensity was observed at room temperature in 3 wt% DR1-doped sol-gel film, and a long relaxation time constant was found in 13 wt% DR1-doped polycarbonate film. Resonantly enhanced deff coefficient of about 9 pm/V was found in the sol-gel film, and 25 pm/V in the polycarbonate film at the fundamental wavelength 1053 nm. The d33 values were about 20 pm/V, and 60 pm/V in these films, respectively. The SHG results were used to estimate the average rotation mobility parameter of DR1 molecules in the host polymers.

Influence of TiO2 on Second Harmonic Generation in Disperse Red -1 doped Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Thin Films

Disperse Red 1 (DR1) doped TiO2-SiO2 inorganic-organic hybrid polymers were prepared by an anhydrous sol-gel process and second harmonic generation (SHG) of the fundamental 1053nm in these polymeric thin films was measured using Maker-fringe method. The nonlinear optical activity of DR1 in the thin films was studied by corona poling at different temperature (from room temperature to 140°C), and the stability of SHG after switching off corona power was evaluated by analyzing the SHG decay dynamics. Experimental results showed that the stability of the SHG of DR1 significantly increases with the cross-linkage degree of the TiO 2 SiO 2 hybrid polymer network, and that the second harmonic coefficient d 33 increases as the DR1 concentration increases. TiO 2 -doping can promote the polymerization of unsaturated C=C double bonds in the hybrid thin films during in-situ hot poling, enhancing the cross-linkage of the network of the hybrid material, and resulting in a great improvement of the stability of SHG. The excellent stability of second harmonic generation in the hybrid polymer thin films suggests that TiO 2 -doped inorganic-organic hybrid polymer is promising for chromophore doping for nonlinear optical applications.