Non-conventional e-o materials

The activities for electro-optical applications are aimed to achievement of a new generation of e-o modulators. e-o modulators are the key elements in fiber-optic telecommunication systems. Forecast for this type of modulator operating at 40 Gbps indicats an increase from 1.6 M$ (2004) to 74.4 M$ (2007) – source: ElectroniCast Corporation. Most of the presently used e-o modulators are based on Lithium Niobate technology. It has reached its intrinsic potentiality and good alternatives are under study

A substantial step ahead is envisaged with the introduction of hybrid e-o materials based on high hyperpolarizable chromophores embedded in polymers or sol-gel based matrix.

However e-o materials are based on second order nonlinear (NL) properties. In order to confer suitable characteristics, non-centrosymmetic geometry presents at molecular level must be preserved when chromophores are inserted into matrices (ordered doping). Nano-manipulation of chromophores can be obtained by electric field orientation of chromophores. The effectiveness of orientation and the evaluation of e-o performances of different systems, most of which synthesized in the framework of international collaborations and projects, are tested measuring their properties of Second Harmonic Generation. Studies about thermal- and photo- stability are performed by means of accelerated aging to orient the choice of better candidate to demonstrators and e-o modulator prototypes.

References

- F. Borbone, A. Carella, A. Roviello, M. Casalboni, F. De Matteis, G. Stracci, F. Della Rovere, A. Evangelisti, M. Dispenza
Outstanding Poling Stability of a New Crosslinked NLO Material from a Low Molecular Weight Chromophore
J. Phys. Chem. B, 115 (42), 11993 (2011)

- R. Centore, A. Concilio, F. Borbone, S. Fusco, A. Carella, A. Roviello, G. Stracci, A. Gianvito Quadratic Nonlinear Optical and Preliminary Piezoelectric Investigation of Crosslinked Samples Obtained From a Liquid Chromophore
J. Pol. Sci. B: Pol.Phys., 50, 650 (2012)

- F. De Matteis, F. Fanicchia, F.R. Lamastra, G. Stracci, R. De Angelis, P. Prosposito, F. Nanni, M. Casalboni Nonlinear optical materials by electrospinning technique
J.Appl.Pol. Scie., 131 40913 (2014)