Exceptionally Thermally Stable Polyimides for Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Applications
T. Verbiest 1,
D. M. Burland 1,
M. C. Jurich 1,
V. Y. Lee 1,
R. D. Miller 1, and
W. Volksen 1
1 IBM Research Division, Almaden Research Center, 650 Harry Road, San Jose, CA 95120-6099, USA.
The thermal stability of the electric field induced poled order in a new class of second-order optically nonlinear polymers, "donor-imbedded" side-chain polyimides containing no flexible connectors or tethers to the nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophore, is investigated. In these polymers, the electron-donor part of the chromophore is a diaryl-substituted amine that is incorporated as a part of the polymer backbone. The donorimbedded systems used in this study have exceptional chemical stabilities at elevated temperatures (350°C) and impressive poled order stability at extremely high temperatures (300°C). In both respects, they were significantly more stable than a true side-chain polyimide with a similar NLO-active chromophore covalently linked to the polymer backbone by a flexible tether group.
Submitted on February 10, 1995
Accepted on April 27, 1995
