SBIR Phase I: Novel Nonlinear Optical Films For Ultrafast Photonics

This Small Business Innovation Research program is to develop a novel technology for fabricating organic nonlinear optical (NLO) composite films that are ideal for photonics. The unprecedented performance for light modulation, switching, frequency conversion and other optical signal processing can be achieved: smaller device sizes, lower driving voltages, to name a few. This breakthrough technology has immense commercial potential in sectors of optical communications and information processing. The proposed film technology takes advantage of organic NLO crystals, which are known to have the highest NLO properties. The technology utilizes the alignment of NLO guest molecules in a host of self-ordered liquid crystal matrix. Field poling is used, if necessary, to remove the centro-symmetry. Advanced processing further enhances NLO properties of the films. Due to coherent interactions, the NLO properties of these films can approach those of bulk organic crystals. Moreover, temporal and thermal stability of the NLO properties is enhanced due to naturally ordered host. The proposed NLO material technology can also used to fabricate low-cost, ultrahigh-performance photonics, such as modulators, switches, phase shifters, beam steering devices that have immediate commercial use. For example, these devices are the enabling components to realize broadband, high-speed, all-optical communication, which has a multi-billion market