Poling of multilayer polymer films for modal dispersion phase matching of second-harmonic generation: effects of glass-transition temperature matching in different layers

The efficiency of multilayered poled polymer devices for parametric mixing depends critically on the creation of large electric fields in the nonlinear layer containing chromophores with large hyperpolarizabilities. The effect of changing the relative glass-transition temperatures of the polymer films constituting a four-layer waveguide has been investigated. An increase in the nonlinearity by a factor of 3.6, as measured by Maker fringes, has been found between an optimized and a nonoptimized combination. Correlation between the poling current density and the propagation losses has also been identified. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America [S0740-3224(00)01607-6] OCIS codes: 160.4330, 160.5470, 160.2100