Ferroelectric liquid crystal polymers for second order nonlinear optics
- Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); and others
Chiral smectic ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) are liquids possessing spontaneous polar order. Combined with their excellent processibility on silicon integrated circuits, FLCs provide an attractive potential approach to synthesis of materials for second order nonlinear optics (NLO) if adequate second order susceptibility {chi} can be obtained. Recent results of experiments demonstrating orientation along the FLC polar axis of functional arrays with large molecular second order susceptibility, such as that found in the NLO dye disperse red 1, will be described. Furthermore, some applications of {chi} materials require a free-standing fiber waveguide. Clearly in such applications FLC polymers could prove useful. In particular, fibers drawn from an FLC main-chain polymer melt should provide a novel structure wherein the FLC polar axis is normal to the fiber axis, with a spontaneous helical periodicity if the main-chain structure is compatible with FLC mesogenicity, We now show this to be the case with synthesis and characterization of two classes of main-chain FLC polymers.
- OSTI ID:
- 370875
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960376--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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