Poled Polymers for χ Applications

Organic nonlinear optical materials are of considerable interest because of their large and fast intrinsic nonlinearities, high damage threshold limits and potential ease of processing [ 1 – 4 ]. For these reasons, they have been studied extensively in various forms including crystals, organic glasses, Langmuir Blodgett structures, vapor deposited films, chlathrate complexes, polymer films, etc. It is the last which provides the most promise of fulfilling all of the advantages ascribed to organic materials in the near term. The subject of this chapter is poled polymers for χ (2) applications, with an emphasis on systems with stability at elevated temperatures.