Acrylic polymers and copolymers exhibiting nonlinear optical response

Claim 2

An isotropic acrylic polymer which is characterized by recurring monomeric units corresponding to the formula: ##STR14## where m and m 1 are integers which total at least 10, and the m monomer comprises between about 10-100 mole percent of the total m+m 1 monomer units; R is hydrogen or a C 1 -C 4 alkyl, phenyl, chloro or trifluoromethyl substituent; R 1 is a C 1 -C 6 alkyl substituent; X is a divalent cycloaliphatic radical having the structure: ##STR15## n is an integer between 1-12; and Z is a nitro or cyano subsitutent.

Claim 3

An acrylic polymer in accordance with claim 1 which has a weight average molecular weight in the range between about 5000-200,000.

Claim 4

An acrylic polymer in accordance with claim 1 which has a glass transition temperature in the range between about 40°-180° C.

Claim 5

A transparent nonlinear optical medium comprising a polymer in accordance with claim 1.

Claim 6

A transparent nonlinear optical medium in accordance with claim 4 which has an external field-induced orientation of aligned m monomer side chains.

Claim 7

An isotropic acrylic copolymer which is characterized by recurring monomeric units corresponding to the formula: ##STR16## where m and m 1 are integers which total at least 20, and the m monomer comprises between about 20-80 mole percent of the total m+m 1 monomer units; R' is hydrogen or a methyl substituent; R 1 is a C 1 -C 6 alkyl substituent; X is a divalent cycloaliphatic radical having the structure: ##STR17## and n is an integer between 1-12.

Claim 8

An isotropic acrylic copolymer which is characterized by recurring monomeric units corresponding to the formula: ##STR16## where m and m 1 are integers which total at least 20, and the m monomer comprises between about 20-80 mole percent of the total m+m 1 monomer units; R' is hydrogen or a methyl substituent; R 1 is a C 1 -C 6 alkyl substituent; X is a divalent cycloaliphatic radical having the structure: ##STR17## and n is an integer between 1-12.

Claim 9

A transparent nonlinear optical medium comprising an acrylic copolymer in accordance with claim 6.

Claim 10

A transparent nonlinear optical medium in accordance with claim 7 which has an external field-induced orientation of aligned m monomer side chains.

Claim 11

An isotropic acrylic copolymer which is characterized by recurring monomeric units corresponding to the formula: ##STR18## where m and m 1 are integers which total at least 20, and the m monomer comprises between about 20-80 mole percent of the total m+m 1 monomer units; R' is hydrogen or a methyl substituent; R 1 is a C 1 -C 6 alkyl substituent; X is a divalent cycloaliphatic radical having the structure: ##STR19## and n is an integer between 1-12.

Claim 12

An isotropic acrylic copolymer which is characterized by recurring monomeric units corresponding to the formula: ##STR18## where m and m 1 are integers which total at least 20, and the m monomer comprises between about 20-80 mole percent of the total m+m 1 monomer units; R' is hydrogen or a methyl substituent; R 1 is a C 1 -C 6 alkyl substituent; X is a divalent cycloaliphatic radical having the structure: ##STR19## and n is an integer between 1-12.

Claim 13

A transparent nonlinear optical medium comprising an acrylic copolymer in accordance with claim 9.

Claim 14

A transparent nonlinear optical medium in accordance with claim 10 which has an external field-induced orientation of aligned m monomer side chains.

Claim 15

In an optical light switch or light modulator device the improvement which comprises a polymeric nonlinear optical component comprising a transparent solid medium of an isotropic acrylic polymer which is characterized by recurring monomeric units corresponding to the formula: ##STR20## where n and m 1 are integers which total at least 10 , and the m monomer comprises betewwn about 10-100 mole percent of the total m+m 1 monomer units; R is hydrogen or a C 1 -C 4 alkyl phenyl, chloro or trifuluoromethyl substituent; R 1 is a C 1 -C 6 alkyl substituent; X is a divalent cycloaliphatic radical having the structure: ##STR21## n is an integer between 1-12; and Z is a nitro or cyano substituent.

Claim 16

In an optical light switch or light modulator device the improvement which comprises a polymeric nonlinear optical component comprising a transparent solid medium of an isotropic acrylic polymer which is characterized by recurring monomeric units corresponding to the formula: ##STR20## where n and m 1 are integers which total at least 10 , and the m monomer comprises betewwn about 10-100 mole percent of the total m+m 1 monomer units; R is hydrogen or a C 1 -C 4 alkyl phenyl, chloro or trifuluoromethyl substituent; R 1 is a C 1 -C 6 alkyl substituent; X is a divalent cycloaliphatic radical having the structure: ##STR21## n is an integer between 1-12; and Z is a nitro or cyano substituent.

Claim 17

An optical device in accordance with claim 12 wherein the polymer medium exhibits second order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ.sup.(2).

Claim 18

An optical device in accordance with claim 12 wherein the polymer medium exhibits third order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ.sup.(3).

Claim 19

An optical device in accordance with claim 12 wherein the polymer medium has an external field-induced alignment of m monomer side chains.

Claim 20

An optical device in accordance with claim 12 wherein the polymeric component is an acrylic copolymer corresponding to the formula represented in claim 6.

Claim 21

An optical device in accordance with claim 12 wherein the polymeric component is an acrylic copolymer corresponding to the formula represented in claim 9.

Claim 22

An optical device in accordance with claim 12 wherein the polymeric nonlinear optical component exhibits less than about 5 percent scattering of transmitted incident light.