Polymer 1D photonic crystals

• US 6,582,807 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2001
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Case Western Reserve University
• Original Assignee: Case Western Reserve University
• Inventors: Baer, Eric, Shirk, James S., Hiltner, P. Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): Thibodeau, Paul
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zacharia, Ramsey
• Application Number:
  US09/794,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20010043398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 359/321, 359/322, 359/580, 359/581, 428/411.1, 428/332, 428/42, 156/244.11, 264/1.7, 264/211.12
• US Class Current: 428/212
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/07 Flat, e.g. panels
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/08 flexible, e.g. films
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/21 the layers being joined at their surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/307 specially adapted for bringing together components, e.g. melts within the die
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/495 Feed-blocks extrusion moulding of multi-component articles B29C48/16
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/71 for layer multiplication extrusion of multi-component articles B29C48/16
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/20 using fillers, pigments, thixotroping agents
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1225 comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3501 Constructional details or arrangements of non-linear optical devices, e.g. shape of non-linear crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3515 All-optical modulation, gating, switching, e.g. control of a light beam by another light beam G02F1/353, G02F1/37, G02F1/39 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3523 Non-linear absorption changing by light, e.g. bleaching
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3615 containing polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/30 grating
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/346 distributed (Bragg) reflector
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/022 polymeric
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/32 Photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/52 Optical limiters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/26 : Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified physical dimension
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31504 : Composite [nonstructural laminate]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31507 : Of polycarbonate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31533 : Of polythioether
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/3154 : Of fluorinated addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31725 : Of polyamide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31786 : Of polyester [e.g., alkyd, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31855 : Of addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31909 : Next to second addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31935 : Ester, halide or nitrile of addition polymer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31938 : Polymer of monoethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31971 : Of carbohydrate

Abstract

A multilayer nonlinear dielectric optical structure is formed by coextruding at least two polymeric materials, components (a) and (b), using a multiplying element; the structure contains a plurality of alternating layers (A) and (B) represented by formula (AB)_x, where x=2ⁿ, and n is the number of multiplying elements; at least one of the components (a) and (b) exhibits nonlinear optical response. These structures perform a variety of nonlinear optical functions including all-optical switching and passive optical limiting.

Claims

1. A multilayer structure comprising,

a plurality of at least two alternating layers A and B represented by formula (AB)_x, where x=2ⁿ, and n is in the range of from 4 to 15;

wherein layer A is comprised of component (a) and layer B is comprised of component (b); and

wherein at least one of components (a) and (b) exhibits nonlinear optical response; and

wherein said component (a) is a polymeric material (A) and said component (b) is said polymeric material (A) containing a nonlinear dye.

2. The multilayer structure of claim 1, comprising a plurality of at least three alternating layers A, B and C, represented by formula (ABC)_x, wherein layer A is comprised of component (a), layer B is comprised of component (b) and layer C is comprised of component (c);

and wherein said components (a), (b) and (c) may be the same or different, provided that at least one of the components (a), (b) and (c) exhibits nonlinear optical response.

3. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein the difference in the refractive index of component (a) and component (b) is in the range of 0 to 10%.

4. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein components (a) and (b) have a transmission window within the range of about 200 micrometers and about 350 nanometers.

5. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein at least one of the components (a) and (b) is a polymeric composite material.

6. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein said nonlinear dye affects change in the refractive index by thermal change.

7. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein said nonlinear dye affects change in the refractive index by optical pumping.

8. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein at least one of the components (a) and (b) exhibit inherent nonlinear optical response.

9. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein said nonlinear dye is selected from the group consisting of a phthalocyanine, a naphthalocyanine, a porphyrin, an organometallic cluster compound, a fullerene, lead tetrakis(cumylphenoxy)phthalocyanine, lead tetrakis(polydimethylsiloxane)phthalocyanine, tetra-tert-butyl(p-trifluoromethyl phenyl)indium(III) and bis(trihexylsiloxy)silicon naphthalocyanine.

10. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein said multilayer structure contains at least 30 layers.

11. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein the thickness of each layer is in the order of from 5 nanometers and 10 micrometers.

12. The multilayer structure of claim 1, which includes tie layer (T) between layer A and layer B;

said multilayer structure represented by formula (ATBT)_xA, where x=2ⁿ and n is the number of multiplier elements.

13. The multilayer structure of claim 1, which includes a barrier layer.

14. The multilayer structure of claim 1, which includes a surface layer on at least one major surface thereof.

15. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein said multilayer structure is a film or a sheet.

16. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein said multilayer structure is an optical limiter.

17. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein said multilayer structure is an optical switch.

18. The multilayer structure of claim 17, wherein the response issue of said optical switch is at least 20 femtosecond.

19. A method for forming the multilayer structure of claim 1, comprising

extruding component (a) in an extruder (A) to form a melt stream (A) and component (b) in an extruder (B) to form a melt stream (B);

combining melt stream (A) with melt stream (B) in a feedblock to form parallel layers (A) and (B);

advancing said parallel layers through a series of multiplying elements (n) to form the multilayer structure.