Nonlinear optical materials and devices

Claim 2

An optical device comprising a noncrystalline second order optically nonlinear element, means for providing an optical input to and an optical output from said element wherein said element comprises an organic compound having second order optical susceptability incorporated in a directionally oriented manner in an optically clear glassy polymer.

Claim 3

An optical device as recited in claim 1 including means for applying an electric field to said element for altering an optical property thereof.

Claim 4

The device recited in claim 1 wherein the element is a film on a substrate.

Claim 5

The device recited in claim 3 wherein the film is from 1pm to 200pm in thickness.

Claim 6

The device recited in claim 1 wherein the organic compound is dissolved in said polymer to about the limit of its solubility therein.

Claim 7

The device recited in claim 1 wherein the organic compound is represented by the formula wherein X represents an atom selected from nitrogen and carbon, R 1 is a strong electron withdrawing group and R 2 is an electron donating or neutral group.

Claim 8

The device recited in claim 6 wherein R 1 is selected from a member of the group consisting of where R is an organic radical and wherein R 2 is wherein R x and/or R y is selected from a member of the group consisting of hydrogen and an alkyl group.

Claim 9

The device recited in claim 6 wherein the polymer is selected from a member of the group consisting of polymethacrylates, polyacrylates, epoxy, polystyrene and polycarbonate.

Claim 10

The device recited in claim 1 wherein the organic molecule is disperse red 1 azo dye and the polymer is polymethylmethacrylate.

Claim 11

An electrooptical directional coupler or switch comprising an electrooptically active film on a substrate, said film comprising an oganic compound having its molecules directionally oriented in an optically clear, glassy, polymer host, said compound having second order optical susceptability and means for applying an electric field to said film for altering an optical property thereof, said film being present on said substrate in the form of two separated arms having a closely spaced, parallel central region from which the arms diverge on each side of said region, the spacing between arms and arm lengths of said central region being such that light of a given wavelength passing through one arm can be coupled to the other arm and emitted therefrom in the absence of an applied field and such emission from said other arm can be reduced or eliminated upon the application of an electric field to said arms and including means for providing an optical input to one of said arms and means for detecting an optical output.

Claim 12

An electrooptical directional coupler or switch comprising an electrooptically active film on a substrate, said film comprising an oganic compound having its molecules directionally oriented in an optically clear, glassy, polymer host, said compound having second order optical susceptability and means for applying an electric field to said film for altering an optical property thereof, said film being present on said substrate in the form of two separated arms having a closely spaced, parallel central region from which the arms diverge on each side of said region, the spacing between arms and arm lengths of said central region being such that light of a given wavelength passing through one arm can be coupled to the other arm and emitted therefrom in the absence of an applied field and such emission from said other arm can be reduced or eliminated upon the application of an electric field to said arms and including means for providing an optical input to one of said arms and means for detecting an optical output.

Claim 13

The device recited in claim 10 wherein the means for applying an electric field comprises spaced electrodes said electrodes being in the same plane as and adjacent each of said arms in the central region thereof.

Claim 14

The device recited in claim 10 wherein the means for applying an electric field comprises at least one spaced electrode pair consisting of an electrode below and an electrode over said film in the central region thereof.

Claim 15

An integrated injection laser tuner and frequency stabilizer comprises a p-n junction laser grown on a semiconductor substrate, an optical waveguide on said substrate contiguous with and extending from the laser junction, said waveguide comprising a film having a non-centrosymmetric molecule of an organic compound which exhibits a second order optical susceptability incorporated in a directionally oriented manner in an optically clear glassy polymer host, means for applying an electric field to said waveguide film for tuning or stabilizing the output of said laser.

Claim 16

An integrated injection laser tuner and frequency stabilizer comprises a p-n junction laser grown on a semiconductor substrate, an optical waveguide on said substrate contiguous with and extending from the laser junction, said waveguide comprising a film having a non-centrosymmetric molecule of an organic compound which exhibits a second order optical susceptability incorporated in a directionally oriented manner in an optically clear glassy polymer host, means for applying an electric field to said waveguide film for tuning or stabilizing the output of said laser.

Claim 17

A second harmonic generator comprising means for passing light of one frequency through a second order nonlinear optical element so as to produce a coincidental wave of a second frequency which is twice the original frequency and means for splitting the coincidental waves to allow one to extract said second frequency wave independent of the original frequency wherein said optical element comprises an optically clear, glassy polymer host having dissolved therein in directional alignment, molecules of an organic compound having second order optical susceptability.

Claim 18

A second harmonic generator comprising means for passing light of one frequency through a second order nonlinear optical element so as to produce a coincidental wave of a second frequency which is twice the original frequency and means for splitting the coincidental waves to allow one to extract said second frequency wave independent of the original frequency wherein said optical element comprises an optically clear, glassy polymer host having dissolved therein in directional alignment, molecules of an organic compound having second order optical susceptability.

Claim 19

The device recited in claim 14 wherein the means for splitting the coincidental beams is a prism.

Claim 20

The device recited in claim 14 wherein the nonlinear optical element is a film deposited on an optically clear substrate.

Claim 21

An electrooptical phase modulator comprising means for passing light of a first phase through a transparent linear electrooptic element and means for applying an electric field to said element sufficient to cause a phase change in the incident light passing therethrough to create light of a second phase, wherein said element comprises an optically clear glassy polymer host having dissolved therein directionally oriented molecules of an organic compound having second order optical susceptability.

Claim 22

An electrooptical phase modulator comprising means for passing light of a first phase through a transparent linear electrooptic element and means for applying an electric field to said element sufficient to cause a phase change in the incident light passing therethrough to create light of a second phase, wherein said element comprises an optically clear glassy polymer host having dissolved therein directionally oriented molecules of an organic compound having second order optical susceptability.

Claim 23

The modulator recited in claim 17 including a polarizer situated in the light path after said electrooptic element which allows light of either said first phase or said second phase, but not both, to pass therethrough.

Claim 24

An electrooptic amplitude modulator comprises an interferometric waveguide of a material having a second order optical susceptability incorporated in a directionally oriented manner in an optically clear glassy polymer, means for applying an electric field to an arm of said waveguide to change the index of refraction of said arm, means for providing an optical input to said waveguide and means for detecting an optical output from said waveguide, the intensity of said otuput being dependent upon the field applied to said arm of said waveguide.

Claim 25

An electrooptic amplitude modulator comprises an interferometric waveguide of a material having a second order optical susceptability incorporated in a directionally oriented manner in an optically clear glassy polymer, means for applying an electric field to an arm of said waveguide to change the index of refraction of said arm, means for providing an optical input to said waveguide and means for detecting an optical output from said waveguide, the intensity of said otuput being dependent upon the field applied to said arm of said waveguide.

Claim 26

The modulator recited in claim 19 wherein said interferrometer is of the Mach-Zehnder type and wherein the waveguide is a thin film deposited on a conductive substrate having an insulating layer between said waveguide film and said conductive substrate and one arm of said film having an electrode thereover such that a voltage can be applied between the sbstrate and said electrode.

Claim 27

A second order optically nonlinear optical element comprises an organic compound having second order optical susceptability incorporated in an optically clear glassy polymer such that the molecules of said compound are directionally oriented therein.

Claim 28

A second order optically nonlinear optical element comprises an organic compound having second order optical susceptability incorporated in an optically clear glassy polymer such that the molecules of said compound are directionally oriented therein.

Claim 29

The optical element recited in claim 21 wherein said element comprises a film of said polymer.

Claim 30

The optical element recited in claim 22 wherein said film is adherent upon an optically clear substrate.

Claim 31

The optical element recited in claim 23 wherein the film is from 4pm to 200pm in thickness.

Claim 32

The optical element recited in claim 21 wherein the organic compound is dissolved in said polymer to about the limit of its solubility therein.

Claim 33

The optical element recited in claim 21 wherein the organic compound is represented by the formula wherein X represents an atom selected from nitrogen and carbon, R 1 is a strong electron withdrawing group and R 2 is an electron donating or neutral group.

Claim 34

The optical element recited in claim 26 wherein R 1 is selected from a member of the group consisting of where R is an organic radical and R 2 is wherein R x and/or Ry is selected from a member of the group consisting of hydrogen and an alkyl group.

Claim 35

The optical element recited in claim 26 wherein the polymer is selected from a member of the group consisting of polymethacrylates, polyacrylates, epoxy, polystyrene and polycarbonate.

Claim 36

The optical element recited in claim 21 wherein the organic molecule is disperse red 1 azo dye and the polymer is polymethylmethacrylate.

Claim 37

The optical element recited in claim 22 including means for applying a voltage across said film.

Claim 38

The optical element recited in claim 30 wherein said voltage means comprises at least one pair of spaced electrodes, at least one of said electrodes being on a surface of said film.