Fabrication of three-dimensional polymer quadratic nonlinear grating structures by layer-by-layer direct laser writing technique

Danh Bich Do; Jian Hung Lin; Ngoc Diep Lai; Hung-Chih Kan; Chia Chen Hsu

doi:10.1364/AO.50.004664

Fabrication of three-dimensional polymer quadratic nonlinear grating structures by layer-by-layer direct laser writing technique

Appl Opt. 2011 Aug 10;50(23):4664-70. doi: 10.1364/AO.50.004664.

Authors

Danh Bich Do¹, Jian Hung Lin, Ngoc Diep Lai, Hung-Chih Kan, Chia Chen Hsu

Affiliation

¹ Department of Physics, National Chung Cheng University, Ming Hsiung, Chiayi, Taiwan.

PMID: 21833145
DOI: 10.1364/AO.50.004664

Abstract

We demonstrate the fabrication of a three-dimensional (3D) polymer quadratic nonlinear (χ(2)) grating structure. By performing layer-by-layer direct laser writing (DLW) and spin-coating approaches, desired photobleached grating patterns were embedded in the guest-host dispersed-red-1/poly(methylmethacrylate) (DR1/PMMA) active layers of an active-passive alternative multilayer structure through photobleaching of DR1 molecules. Polyvinyl-alcohol and SU8 thin films were deposited between DR1/PMMA layers serving as a passive layer to separate DR1/PMMA active layers. After applying the corona electric field poling to the multilayer structure, nonbleached DR1 molecules in the active layers formed polar distribution, and a 3D χ(2) grating structure was obtained. The χ(2) grating structures at different DR1/PMMA nonlinear layers were mapped by laser scanning second harmonic (SH) microscopy, and no cross talk was observed between SH images obtained from neighboring nonlinear layers. The layer-by-layer DLW technique is favorable to fabricating hierarchical 3D polymer nonlinear structures for optoelectronic applications with flexible structural design.