Very large electro-optic responses in H-bonded heteroaromatic films grown by physical vapour deposition.
A crucial goal for modern telecommunications systems is development of very high-speed components for broadband (>100 GHz), all-optical signal/information processing. The core component of such technologies is the electro-optic modulator, which encodes electrical signals onto fibre-optic transmissions. A significant challenge therefore is obtaining materials that have large electro-optic responses and that can be readily fabricated into devices at low cost. We report here on the realization of high-response heteroaromatic organic chromophores that can be straightforwardly self-organized from the vapour phase into intrinsically acentric, high-quality, micrometre-scale films. These pi-conjugated electro-optically active films (with second-order susceptibilities up to approximately 100 pm V(-1)) are thermally stable and conveniently grown by a simple physical vapour deposition process in a few hours. Supramolecular acentricity is achieved without electric field poling, enforced by biomimetic heterocycle-hydroxycarbonyl head-to-tail hydrogen-bonding.
Facchetti
Antonio
A
Department of Chemistry and the Materials Research Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60208-3113, USA.
Annoni
Elisabetta
E
Beverina
Luca
L
Morone
Marika
M
Zhu
Peiwang
P
Marks
Tobin J
TJ
Pagani
Giorgio A
GA
D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004581:Electronics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic / Q000737:chemistry*; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008420:Manufactured Materials; D008422:Materials Testing; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry; D010777:Photochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014835:Volatilization
D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; D009930:Organic Chemicals