Abstract

The high gain and index modulation reported for several new photorefractive polymer composites¹ may open the way for future applications of this promising class of materials for optical processing. The high performance is due to a combination of factors, including high nonlinearity resulting from orientational enhancement,² and the large internal electric fields that can be generated (~90 V/μm).³ Certainly, one reason for the high fields is the low dielectric constant of these materials which reduces screening of the charge distribution, but in addition, the trap density plays a critical role in establishing strong space-charge fields. In this work we focus on identification of the trapping states with a goal of eventual optimization of this critical component.

© 1999 Optical Society of America