Toward device applicable second order NLO polymer materials: Definition of the chromophore figure of merit

Maximal achieved second order non linear optical (NLO) efficiency of the PMMA based host - guest systems containing eight dimethylaminobenzylidene -1, 3 - indandione (DMABI) related chromophores have been analysed. Two contradicting sets of NLO chromophore figure of merit (FOM) equations were tested. One of them predicts that NLO efficiency of the poled polymer host -guest film is proportional to ground state dipole d₃₃ ∼ 1/μ_g, another to d₃₃ ∼ 1/μ_g. The best correlations for the maximal achieved nonlinearity were obtained with second set of FOM, especially if high ground state dipole (μ_g > 7D) chromofores are included in analysis.