Effects of Molecular Rigidity on Electric Field Induced Alignment and Orientational Stability of Dipolar Chromophore Composities

The fabrication of second order nonlinear optical materials requires the imposition of noncentrosymmetry on an ensemble of chromophores with large hyperpolarizabilities (B). The design of high-B chromophores is now very well understood, whereas the induction and maintenance of the noncentrosymmetry in noncrystalline materials remains a significant challenge. One of the leading methodologies for inducing chromophore alignment in amorphous electro-optic materials is to pole the chromophores in polymer films.