Abstract

Over the last decade, the electric-field poling of polymer films containing hyperpolarizable organic dye molecules has received considerable attention as an efficient means of creating second-order nonlinear optical materials. A simple electrostatic model can explain symmetry breaking and the creation of bulk nonlinearity through dipolar alignment of the dye molecules in the electric field. Effects due to current flow and/or charge injection have usually not been considered.

© 1995 Optical Society of America