Electrochromism and Optical Waveguiding as Diagnostics of Corona-Poled Electro-Optic Polymer Films

Abstract

Corona poling1 has recently been applied as an effective means of creating macroscopic nonlinear susceptibilities in polymeric materials funtionalized or doped with hyper-polarizable groups or molecules. In contrast with a standard electrode, the corona poling voltage can be higher, hut its value may be only poorly known because leakage currents in organic films increase dramatically at the temperatures near the glass transition, Tg. To optimize the nonlinear response of a sample, it is desirable to provide a real-time monitor of the degree of orientation during and after poling. The Maker fringe technique2 has been used to observe second-harmonic generation and can give bulk susceptibilities directly, but involves a sophisticated experimental setup and works best for samples thick enough to display several coherence fringes. © 1989 Optical Society of America