Materials for third order nonlinear optics (Conference Presentation)

Abstract

Organic materials that exhibit large real third-order optical nonlinearities, |Re(χ(3))|, and that also have low linear and nonlinear losses at telecommunication wavelengths may be useful for a range of all-optical signal-processing (AOSP) applications. Based on their solution linear and nonlinear optical characteristics, polymethine dyes in general, and chalcogenopyrylium-terminated heptamethines in particular, are a promising class of materials for AOSP, but the translation of their microscopic nonlinearity to device-relevant materials is hindered by significant aggregation of the molecules in high-chromophore density films.[1] An approach to minimize aggregation these dyes, in which bulky and rigidly out-of-plane groups are introduced both in the center of the polymethine bridge and on the heterocyclic end groups, has been developed and can lead to thin-film materials exhibiting combinations of large |Re(χ(3))|, large two-photon figure-of-merit, and low linear loss that are suitable for AOSP.[2] [1] Hales J. M., Matichak J., Barlow S., Ohira S., Yesudas K., Bredas J.-L., Perry J. W. and S. R. Marder, Science, 2010, 327, 1485. [2] Barlow S., Bredas J.-L., Getmanenko Y. A., Gieseking R. L., Hales J.M., Kim H., Marder S.R., Perry J. W., Risko C., Zhang Y., Materials Horizons, 2014, 1, 17.