Tests on Nonlinear Polymeric Waveguides for All-Optical Processing

摘要

All optical devices which utilize nonlinear polymer waveguides result to be simpler and probably more reliable than analogous devices based on second order cascading processes. Here the fabrication and characterization of some polydiacetylene waveguides is described, then nonlinear tests on such guides are reported which are based on four wave mixing. Hybrid organic-glass guides has proved to be of great help in these tests. Finally some preliminary results on a new polycarbazolydiacetylene are shown.In particular,nonlinear measurements based on surface plasmon resonance, if confirmed by further investigations, are very promising, giving a third order susceptibility which is an order of magnitude better than that of PTS which is probably the most nonlinear known polymer.