Progress in photorefractive polymers

Various response parameters of a novel group of photorefractive (PR) polymers were investigated. These substances are based on charge-transporting host polymers having minuscule nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores as guest molecules. The study involved photoconducting polymer poly(N-vinylcarbazole) doped with NLO chromophore 3-fluoro-4-N,N di-ethylamino-β-nitrostyrene. This PR system exhibited an unprecedented two-beam-coupling gain coefficients surpassing the absorption coefficients. As established by a charge-generation limited model, mobility did not serve as the restricting factor in the PR response.