ENHANCED QUANTUM DOT NONLINEAR OPTICAL MATERIALS

THE QUANTUM DOT SEMICONDUCTORS, THE SUBJECT OF THIS PROPOSAL, ARE A NEW CLASS OF NONLINEAR OPTICAL MATERIALS WHICH OFFER CONSIDERABLE PROMISE FOR THE FABRICATION OF NOVEL NONLINEAR OPTICAL COMPOSITES AND RESULTING DEVES. THE FILTER GLASSES (A SUBSET OF THIS CLASS OF MATERIALS) ARE NOW WELL KNOWN BUT THE PROSPECTS FOR MOLECULAR ENGINEERING TO MODIFY THE PARTICLES AND/OR THEIR SURFACES TO IMPROVE THEIR PROPERTIES ARE LIMITED. OUR PROPOSAL EMPLOYES THIS APPROACH. MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES CORP WILL INVESTIGATE THE PREPARATION OF A NEW CLASS OF NONLINEAR OPTICAL COMPOSITE WHERE A NONLINEAR PARTICLE IS EMBEDDDED AND BONDED DIRECTLY INTO A NONLINEAR OPTICAL HOST. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE SYNERGY RESULTING FROM SUCH AS MICROSTRUCTURE WILL RESULT IN A COMPOSITE WITH SUPERIOR NONLINEAR OPITCAL PROPERTIES. THE CONCEPT WILL BE CRITICALLY EXAMINED VIA CADMIUM SULFIDE/POLYDIACETYLENE SYSTEM. APPLICATIONS INCLUDE: OPTICAL SIGNAL PROCESSING (SWITCHES, MODULATORS, AND WAVEGUIDE DEVICES); IMAGE PROCESSING, IMAGE UNDERSTANIND AND IMAGE STORAGE; REAL TIME (DYNAMIC) HOLOGRAPHY FOR RECONFIGURABLE INTERCONNECTS AND NETWORKS.