Nonlinear Optics in Multilayer Polymer Films – Kenneth Singer
Date: Mon. November 27th, 2006, 12:30 pm-1:30 pmLocation: Rockefeller 221
Case Western was recently awarded a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center. This 5 year ~$20M once renewable grant is housed in the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering and is named the Center for Layered Polymer Systems (CLiPS). The center will focus its efforts on research and education relating to a polymer coextrusion process capable of fabricating multilayer polymer films. The films can possess up to thousands of layers with each layer as thin as a few nanometers. One of the three scientific/engineering platforms is aimed at exploring optical properties and applications of these films. In this seminar, I will describe the center’s activities, especially proposed work relating to nonlinear optical processes and devices. The multilayer systems, as one-dimensional photonic crystals, provide an opportunity to investigate new types of nonlinear optical phenomena and devices based on the optical Kerr effect. The seminar will describe the nonlinear optical processes involved and the optical properties of multilayer films. I will also describe proposed work relating to optical bistability and optical limiting.