Highly thermally stable electro-optic response in poled guest-host polyimide systems cured at 360 °C

Abstract

In a major development of the new poling process for electro-optic polyimide guest-host systems [Wu et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 58, 225 (1991)], a thermally stable EO response at 200 °C for 80 h is demonstrated for poled polyimide films cured at 250 °C for 1 h plus an additional curing at 360 °C for 0.5 h. Thermal stability at 300 °C for 2 h is demonstrated for the same system cured at 360 °C for 0.25 h plus an additional curing at 300 °C for 0.33 h. High-temperature densification curing (360 °C) is found to be essential in realizing a thermally stable EO response of poled guest-host polyimides at high temperatures.