Electrooptic light modulation and second-harmonic generation in novel diazo-dye-substituted poled polymers

The nonlinear-optical susceptibilities, x/sup (2)/, of a diazo-dye-substituted polymer poled with high electric fields were determined experimentally and theoretically. The electrooptic modulation of He-Ne laser light in a traveling-wave channel-waveguide modulator using the diazo-dye-substituted poled polymer is reported, and the linear electrooptic coefficient of the poled polymer is estimated from a measured half-wave voltage. The polymer studied is a poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymerized with a methacrylate ester of the dicyanovinyl-terminated diazo dye derivative. This polymer is called 3RDCVXY. The corona-poled 3RDCVXY polymer exhibits a x/sup (2)/ value of 1*10/sup -6/ esu at 1.06 mu m. The thermal stability is excellent even at 80 degrees C. The poled 3RDCVXY polymer film shows a linear electrooptic coefficient as high as 40 pm/V at 0.633 mu m. An electrooptical light modulation in the channel 3RDCVXY polymer waveguides with a half-wave voltage as low as 5 V was obtained.<>