CONJUGATED PHOTOREFRACTIVE POLYMER

A novel type of photorefractive polymer, containing a conjugated backbone and a second order nonlinear optical chromophore, has been developed. It was expected that the conjugated backbone would absorb photons in the visible region and play the triple role of charge generator, charge transporter, and backbone. Several physical measurements demonstrated this expectation. Two beam coupling experiments clearly indicated an asymmetric optical energy exchange between two beams without applying an external electrical field. This is a conclusive signature for photorefractivity. Also, large optical gain, 5.7 cm-1, was observed under zero-field condition.