Polymeric waveguides with bidirectional poling for radiation phase-matching

Claim 2

An optical waveguide which has a thin film laminated matrix comprising: (a) a substrate which supports a first electrode layer; (b) a dielectric buffer layer which is in coextensive proximity with the electrode layer; (c) a second electrode layer having a spatial periodic structure in proximity with the buffer layer; (d) a polable organic waveguiding medium layer in proximity with the second electrode layer and buffer layer; and (e) a third electrode layer in proximity with the organic waveguiding medium; wherein the first and second electrodes are adapted to apply electric fields of opposite polarity in conjunction with the third electrode functioning as a zero potential ground electrode, and the organic waveguiding medium has a bidirectional poled molecular configuration and a radiation wave phase-matching coherence length about equal to the periodicity of the second electrode.

Claim 3

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 1 wherein the organic waveguiding medium has a two-dimensional channel structure for single mode wave transmission.

Claim 4

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 1 wherein the periodicity (Λ) the waveguiding medium for phase-matching of different radiation velocities is determined by the inverse difference of the propagation constants: ##EQU10## where Δk=k p .sup.(1) -K s .sup.(2) -K - i .sup.(3) , and k p is the pump radiation constant, k s is the signal radiation constant, and k i is the idler radiation constant.

Claim 5

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 1 wherein the periodicity (Λ) of the waveguiding medium for phase-matching of different radiation velocities is determined by the inverse difference of the propagation constants: ##EQU11## where Δk=k TE -K TM , and k TE is the transverse electric mode radiation constant and k TM is the transverse magnetic mode radiation constant.

Claim 6

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 1 wherein the periodicity (Λ) of the waveguiding medium for phase-matching of different radiation velocities is determined by the inverse difference of the propagation constants: ##EQU12## where Δk=k opt -k micro , and k opt is the optical wave constant and k is the microwave constant.

Claim 7

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 1 wherein the organic waveguiding medium comprises a polymeric thin film which exhibits second order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ.sup.(2).

Claim 8

An optical waveguide which has a thin film laminated matrix comprising: (a) a substrate which supports a first electrode layer; (b) a dielectric buffer layer which is in coextensive proximity with the electrode layer; (c) a second electrode having a spatial periodic structure in proximity with the buffer layer; (d) a first thin film cladding of a polable side chain polymer in proximity with the second electrode layer and buffer layer; (e) a waveguiding medium layer of a polable side chain polymer in coextensive contact with the first cladding layer and with a higher refractive index than the cladding layer; (f) a second thin film cladding of a polable side chain polymer in coextensive contact with the waveguiding medium layer and with a lower refractive index than the waveguiding layer; and (g) a third electrode in proximity with the second thin film cladding; wherein the first and second electrodes are adapted to apply electric fields of opposite polarity in conjunction with the third electrode functioning as a zero potential ground electrode, and the waveguiding medium and thin film cladding polymers have a bidirectional poled molecular configuration of the polymer side chains and exhibit second order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ.sup.(2), and have a radiation wave phase-matching coherence length about equal to the periodicity of the second electrode.

Claim 9

An optical waveguide which has a thin film laminated matrix comprising: (a) a substrate which supports a first electrode layer; (b) a dielectric buffer layer which is in coextensive proximity with the electrode layer; (c) a second electrode having a spatial periodic structure in proximity with the buffer layer; (d) a first thin film cladding of a polable side chain polymer in proximity with the second electrode layer and buffer layer; (e) a waveguiding medium layer of a polable side chain polymer in coextensive contact with the first cladding layer and with a higher refractive index than the cladding layer; (f) a second thin film cladding of a polable side chain polymer in coextensive contact with the waveguiding medium layer and with a lower refractive index than the waveguiding layer; and (g) a third electrode in proximity with the second thin film cladding; wherein the first and second electrodes are adapted to apply electric fields of opposite polarity in conjunction with the third electrode functioning as a zero potential ground electrode, and the waveguiding medium and thin film cladding polymers have a bidirectional poled molecular configuration of the polymer side chains and exhibit second order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ.sup.(2), and have a radiation wave phase-matching coherence length about equal to the periodicity of the second electrode.

Claim 10

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 7 wherein the waveguiding medium has a two-dimensional channel structure, and is adapted to perform with an optical loss of less than about two decibels per centimeter under radiation wave propagating conditions.

Claim 11

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 7 wherein the waveguiding medium exhibits a second order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ.sup.(2) of at least about 1×10 -8 esu as measured at 1.91 μm excitation wavelength.

Claim 12

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 7 wherein each of the side chain polymers in the waveguiding medium and the cladding thin films is characterized by a recurring monomeric unit corresponding to the formula: ##STR4## where P' is a polymer main chain unit, S' is a flexible spacer unit having a linear chain length between about 2-20 atoms; M, is a pendant chromophore which exhibits second order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ.sup.(2), and where the pendant side chains consist of at least 25 percent of the polymer, and the polymer has a glass transition temperature above about 40° C.

Claim 13

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 10 wherein the M' group in the formula contains a biphenyl structure.

Claim 14

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim -0 wherein the M' group in the formula contains a stilbene structure.

Claim 15

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 10 wherein the side chain polymer in the waveguiding medium is characterized by a recurring monomeric unit corresponding to the formula ##STR5## where m is an integer of at least 5; n is an integer between about 2-20; X is --NR--, --O-- or --S--; R is hydrogen or a C 1 -C 4 alkyl; and Z is ---NO 2 , --CN, --CF 3 , --CH═C(CN) 2 , --C(CN)═C(CN) 2 or --SO 2 CF 3 .

Claim 16

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 10 wherein the side chain polymer in the waveguiding medium is a copolymer of 4-[N-(2-methacroyloxyethyl)-N-methylamino]-4'nitrostilbene and a C 1 -C 6 alkyl acrylate or methacrylate.

Claim 19

A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein the organic waveguiding medium has a two-dimensional channel structure for single mode wave transmission.

Claim 20

A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein the organic waveguiding medium comprises a polymer with side chain chromophores which have a noncentrosymmetric molecular orientation of periodic reverse polarity, and the waveguiding medium exhibits second order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ.sup.(2).

Claim 21

A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein the organic waveguiding medium is positioned between two organic cladding thin films, and the waveguiding medium and cladding thin films each comprises a side chain polymer layer.