Organic Materials for Third‐Order Nonlinear Optics

TLDR

The review surveys the current status of organic low‑molecular‑weight and polymeric materials for third‑order nonlinear optics, highlighting their large figure of merit, high damage thresholds, ultrafast responses, architectural flexibility, and ease of fabrication. The study examines organic materials with notable third‑order nonlinear optical properties to illustrate how molecular structure influences performance. Emerging organic materials—including liquids, dyes, fullerenes, charge‑transfer complexes, π‑conjugated polymers, dye‑grafted polymers, organometallic compounds, composites, and liquid crystals—show promise for diverse applications and warrant further exploration in integrated optics.

Abstract

Abstract The current status of organic low‐molecular weight and polymeric materials for third‐order nonlinear optics is reviewed. The importance of organic materials lies in their promise of large nonlinear optical figure of merit, high optical damage thresholds, ultrafast optical responses, architectural flexibility, and ease of fabrication. Organic materials exhibiting interesting third‐order nonlinear optical properties are discussed to illustrate the importance of structure–property correlations. Results on emerging organic materials that include liquids, dyes, fullerenes, charge‐transfer complexes, π‐conjugated polymers, dye‐grafted polymers, organometallic compounds, composites, and liquid crystals are presented. Organic nonlinear optical materials seem promising for a wide range of applications and their potential for integrated optics should be further explored.