RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR USE OF ORGANIC DYE-DOPED POLYMERS AND NANOMATERIALS-DOPED POLYMERS IN OPTOELECTRONICS AND PHOTONICS

Presently the major focus of research in nonlinear optical materials is diverted on three areas of interest which include (1) Optical switching for all-optical devices, (2) Optical limiting for the protection of Eyes and photo detectors, and (3) Optical phase conjugation. All-optical switches which can break the transmission speed limits of electro-optical, acousto-optical, thermo-optical, and micro-electro-mechanical switches, can function as effective tools to solve these problems. The third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) effect based all-optical switches can be used to control light to bring changes in refractive index and hence phase difference when signal light passes through the sample and thus carry out the function of “on” or “off’ of optical switches. Optical limiting is a process of controlling the intensity of laser beam beyond certain specified intensity and has applications in sensor and eye protection. Optical phase conjugation using degenerate four-wave mixing configuration has been demonstrated and analysed in many organic and inorganic materials using a light beam of pulsed or continuous-wave (CW) lasers. However, organic dyes, dye-doped polymer films, and nanomaterials-dopedpolymersshow many favourable chemical, physical and opticaldevice related issues necessary tomake an organic all-opticalswitch foroptoelectronic and Photonics. In this paper, we have suggested the use of organic dyes, dye-doped polymers, and nanomaterials-doped polymers for some of the new areas of further research and commercialization of the inventions