Recent Advances in Understanding and Development of Photorefractive Polymers and Glasses

Abstract

The photoconductive, orientational, and photorefractive properties of monolithic glasses based on new nonlinear optical chromophores containing a 2-dicyanomethylene-3-cyano-2,5-dihydrofuran (DCDHF) acceptor group are presented. Large net gain coefficients are observed in both red and infrared wavelength regions. The physical and optical properties of glasses based on various DCDHF-containing derivatives are compared and analyzed, and the factors limiting steady-state and dynamical photorefractive performance are discussed.