Dendrimer Based Electro-Optic Sensor

• US 20080128618A1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Research And Photonics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Anis Rahman, Aunik K. Rahman
• Inventors: Rahman, Anis, Rahman, Aunik K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,919,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/332
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/353 Frequency conversion, i.e. wherein a light beam is generated with frequency components different from those of the incident light beams
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3558 Poled materials, e.g. with periodic poling; Fabrication of domain inverted structures, e.g. for quasi-phase-matching [QPM]
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3611 containing Nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3612 Heterocycles having N as heteroatom
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/13 involving THZ radiation

Abstract

A high efficiency electro-optic dendrimer based technology for nanophotonic integrated circuit devices is presented. In particular, an electro-optic waveguide dendrimer for electro-optic sensor applications is implemented. A terahertz system for detecting and imaging objects is implemented using electro-optic dendrimer based terahertz emitters and probing sensors.

Claims

1. An electro-optic sensor, comprising:

a waveguide; and

the waveguide having a dendrimer core that has an enhanced electro-optic coefficient and magnetic susceptibility resulting from poling induced dipole orientation.

2. The electro-optic sensor of claim 1, wherein the dendrimer contains an enhanced number of dipole moments generated from poling at a high electric field at an elevated temperature.

3. The electro-optic sensor of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is implemented as one of a Mach-Zehnder structure, an electro-absorption sensor or a modulating sensor.

4. The electro-optic sensor of claim 1, wherein the dendrimer is poled in-situ or ex-situ at a high electric field at an elevated temperature therein incorporating a dipole depleted charge density.

5. The electro-optic sensor of claim 4, wherein the dendrimer is formed from Generation 0 to Generation 11 dendrimers.

6. The electro-optic sensor of claim 1, wherein the dendrimer is modified via liquid phase doping.

7. The electro-optic sensor of claim 1, wherein the dendrimer is deposited on a substrate of the waveguide along with at least one electro-optic device using lithographic processing to produce a nanophotonic integrated circuit, wherein the dendrimer allows a monolithic fabrication route to integrate multiple functionalities on a chip.

8. The electro-optic sensor of claim 1, wherein the dendrimer is formed from a film that is cured at a temperature between 80°

C. and 400°

C. and further wherein the cured film has a glass transition temperature higher than 85°

C. and suitable for continuous stable operation and extended life.

9. The electro-optic sensor of claim 1, wherein the dendrimer is doped with at least one dopant from a group of dopants comprised of the following non-linear organic chromophores:

(2,6-Dimethyl-4H-pyran-4-ylidene)malononitrile;

(S)-(−

)-1-(4-Nitrophenyl)-2-pyrrolidinemethanol;

[4-[Bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]phenyl]-1,1,2-ethylenetricarbonitrile;

1-Docosyl-4-(4-hydroxystyryl)pyridinium bromide;

2-(Dimethylamino)vinyl-1-nitronaphthalene;

2,3,5,6-Tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane;

2-[[5-(Dibutylamino)-2-thienyl]methylene]-1H-indene-1,3(2H)-di one;

2-[4-((4-(Bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]phenyl)(cyano)methylene]-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene]malonitrile;

2-[4-(Dimethylamino)styryl]pyridine;

2-[Ethyl[4-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]phenyl]amino]ethanol;

2-Amino-3-nitropyridine;

2-Amino-5-nitropyridine;

2-Aminofluorene;

2-Chloro-3,5-dinitropyridine;

2-Chloro-4-nitroaniline;

2-Methyl-4-nitroaniline;

2-Nitroaniline;

3-[(4-Nitrophenyl)azo]-9H-carbazole-9-ethanol;

3-Methyl-4-nitropyridine N-oxide;

3-Nitroaniline;

4-(Dibenzylamino)benzaldehyde-N,N-diphenylhydrazone;

4-[4-(Dimethylamino)styryl]-1-docosylpyridinium bromide;

4-[4-(Dimethylamino)styryl]pyridine;

4-Dimethylamino-4¢

-nitrostilbene;

4-Nitroaniline;

5-Nitroindole;

5-Nitrouracil;

7,7,8,8-Tetracyanoquinodimethane;

9-Ethyl-3-carbazolecarboxaldehyde-N-methyl-N-phenylhydrazone;

Disperse Orange 25;

Disperse Orange 3;

Disperse Red 1;

Disperse Red 13;

Disperse Red 19;

Disperse yellow 7;

Ethyl 4-(dimethylamino)benzoate;

Gentian Violet, ACS reagent;

Gentian Violet;

N-(2,4-Dinitrophenyl)-L-alanine methyl ester;

N,N-Dimethyl-N¢

-[(5-nitro-2-thienyl)methylene]-1,4-phenylenediamine;

N-[3-Cyano-3-[4-(dicyanomethyl)phenyl]-2-propenylidene]-N-ethyl-ethaniminium inner salt;

Nile Blue A;

N-Methyl-4-nitroaniline;

trans-4-[4-(Dimethylamino)styryl]-1-methylpyridinium iodide; and

trans-4-[4-(Dimethylamino)styryl]-1-methylpyridinium p-toluenesulfonate.

10. The electro-optic sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna for receiving a radiated high frequency electric field, wherein the induced field is used to modulate an optical signal with the sensor; and

a detection circuit for source identification.

11. The electro-optic sensor of claim 10, wherein the sensor and antenna are each implemented as an array.

12. An imaging system for an object, comprising:

a terahertz emitter having a functionalized dendrimer for generating terahertz radiation at a high pump-terahertz conversion efficiency and high power, wherein the terahertz radiation is directed at the object; and

a sensor having a functionalized dendrimer that has an enhanced electro-optic coefficient and magnetic susceptibility resulting from poling induced dipole orientation, wherein a terahertz image generated of the object is imaged by the sensor.

13. The imaging system of claim 12, wherein the image is interrogated by the sensor.

14. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein the image is visualized and recorded by an analysis system.

15. The imaging system of claim 12, wherein an array of waveguides provides wide area imaging.

16. The imaging system of claim 12, wherein the terahertz emitter and the sensor are pumped by an identical source.

17. The imaging system of claim 12, wherein the imaging is done in a transmissive mode, a reflective mode or both transmissive and reflective mode.

18. The imaging system of claim 12, wherein the emitter is one of a bulk dendrimer and a waveguide having the functionalized dendrimer as a core.

19. A nanophotonic integrated circuit sensor for detecting objects, comprising:

at least one modulator; and

at least one antenna feed, wherein the antenna feed provides collected electromagnetic radiation from the objects to the modulator, the collected electromagnetic radiation serving as the modulating excitation to the modulator,

wherein modulated signals are representative signatures for the objects.

20. The sensor of claim 19, wherein the at least one modulator is an array and the at least one antenna feed is an array, further comprising:

a demultiplexer having outputs corresponding to the array of modulators, the demulitplexer feeding a signal to each of the modulators, and

a multifiber array coupled to the modulators for outputting the modulated signals to an analysis system.