J O U R N A L O F M A T E R I A L S S C I E N C E L E T T E R S 2 2, 2 0 0 3, 737 – 738
Third order nonlinear polymer materials for photonics
S. K. SHARMA, GOEL, S. A. REZAN
Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, Melaka Campus, 75450 Melaka, Malaysia
E-mail: sudhir73 2000@yahoo.com; sudhir.sharma@mmu.edu.my
V. N. MISRA
Faculty of Engineering, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya Campus, 63100 Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia
K. N. TRIPATHI
Department of Electronic Science, University of Delhi, South Campus, New Delhi, India
We are living in an age where speed and efficiency
are very important to us. Light wave technology of-
fers promise in these regards where photons instead of
electrons are used to acquire, process, store and trans-
fer information. This technology is called photonics.
The most important advantage of photonics over elec-
tronics is the gain in speed; this results from the sim-
ple fact that a photon travels much faster than an elec-
tron. Also, one can store information more compactly.
Very stringent demands are placed on new technologies.
Some of the important features required from a new
technology suitable for the next generation are listed
in Fig 1. First, the operating speed of the devices is
very important; second the technology should involve
light-weight components so that it can also easily inter-
face with space based systems. Other important require-
ments are compactness, ability to integrate into a system
network, and device components which have exponen-
tial durability. The success of these new technologies
is crucially dependent on the availability of advanced
new materials which are highly efficient, durable in
their performance and simultaneously perform more
than one function. These are the high performance
multifunctional materials.
Although third order nonlinearities can have many
possible applications, the most interesting ones are
based on a refractive index which varies with the local
intensity of light inside the materials. This is commonly
written as
n = n0 + n2 I
where n 0 is the low power refractive index, I is the local
intensity and n 2 is the nonlinear coefficient in inverse
intensity units, for example cm2 /W. A power dependent
refractive index leads to a power dependent wavevector
and a power dependent phase shift after some propa-
gation distance L. This in turn means that wavevector
matching, interactions and interference effects can all
be controlled by changing intensity. Most applications
stem from these two concepts.
To date very few all-optical devices based on nonlin-
ear polymer materials have been reported. An impor-
tant reason is that the search for appropriate materials
is still in its infancy. Furthermore, the information re-
0261–8028 
C 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers
quired for designing prototype devices is not yet widely
available. It is known that the key to device operation
is the maximum nonlinear phase shift which can be
optically produced in a material,
ϑ NL = n 2 I k0 L eff (2)
where L eff is the effective interaction length, n 2 is non-
linear coefficient, I is local intensity and ϑ NL is non-
linear phase shift [1]. A fundamental limitation to L eff
is the material absorption which has both a linear α0 and
a nonlinear contribution γ I where γ is the two photon
coefficient, usually in cm/GW. As the intensity is in-
creased, a maximum in index change, n sat , is always
reached due to saturation of the nonlinear mechanism
or due to material damage. This leads to a maximum
nonlinear phase shift of
2π n sat
2π W = (3)
α0 λ
where n sat is saturation index change, α0 is linear
absorption coefficient, W is phase shift and λ is wave-
length. The minimum value of W required varies from
device to device with W > 1 being typical. However,
the value of W is known for only a handful of mate-
rials, none of them having an optimum value. On the
other hand, if the maximum phase shift is limited by
two photon absorption, we can define another figure of
merit
(1)
2λγ
T = (4)
n2
with T < 1 being required for device purposes [2]. Typ-
ically n 2 has been the measured at only a few wave-
lengths near or at the electronic resonance of the ma-
terial, and rarely is the absorption coefficient, linear or
nonlinear also reported. In fact, summarized in Table I
are the very few cases for which the parameters of in-
terest are known [3, 4].
Despite these limitations, a number of device related
experiments have been performed on the best materials
available at the time. These include absorption bleach-
ing, optical bistability, nonlinear grating distributed
737
 Affordable

Light Weight Ultrafast Speed

New Technology

Compactness Exceptional Durability System Integration

(High Density

Information
Storage)

High Performance

Multifunctional Materials

Figure 1

feedback and coupling, optical limiting and all-optical
switching [5, 6].
A nonlinear directional coupler for all-optical
switching has been made out of polystyrene. Switching
due to thermal effects was observed, as well as due to
two photon absorption [7]. In retrospect the two photon
absorption coefficient was too large, resulting in a value
of T > 10. Subsequent material studies of polystyrene
at wavelength 1.30 microns indicate that switching due
to electronic nonlinearities should be possible at that
wavelength in this material.
Optical limiting for protecting sensors against strong
optical spikes has also been demonstrated with silicon-
napth-phthalocyanine [8]. The device relied on an ab-
sorption coefficient which was proportional to the in-
tensity I , mimicking that of two photon absorption.
However, in this case there was one photon absorption
to an excited state which was connected by another
very efficient one photon process to a higher excited
state. The cascading of these two processes exhibited a
response similar to two photon absorption.
For the useful application of third order polymer non-
linearities, the major hurdle is to identify appropriate
materials. In order to choose materials, it is necessary
to completely characterize the linear and nonlinear op-
T A B L E I Waveguide compatible polymer materials with ultrafast
nonlinearities and their all-optical switching figures of merit
Material n 2 cm2 /W α cm−1 W T
Polycarbonate −2.99 × 10−11 0.82 345 0.4
Polyacrylate −10−12 0.82 16 25
Polystyrene 1.35 × 10−13 2.1 2.4 128
tical properties as a function of wavelength. It is in this
area that progress needs to be made.
Nonlinear polymer materials have shown real
promise for applications in nonlinear optics over the
last few years. New materials have been synthesized,
characterized, and in some cases already used in proto-
type devices. For second order nonlinearities the future
is very promising indeed since efficient doublers ap-
pear to have found a nich in data storage for which
their properties are near-ideal. In the case of third order
nonlinearities it is still too early to predict where the
ultimate applications will occur.
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1.03
1.03
1.3
Received 2 October 2002
and accepted 21 January 2003

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