Roughness measurements of nonlinear optical polymer films by scanning tunneling microscopy

Abstract

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been used to characterize the surface roughness of nonlinear optical (NLO) polymers. A review of STM of polymer surfaces is included in this volume. The NLO polymers are instrumental in the development of electrooptical waveguide devices, the most fundamental of which is the modulator. The most common modulator design is the Mach Zehnder interferometer, in which the input light is split into two legs and then recombined into a common output within the two dimensional waveguide. A π phase retardation, resulting in total light extinction at the output of the interferometer, can be achieved by changing the refractive index of one leg with respect to the other using the electrooptic effect. For best device performance, it is essential that the NLO polymer exhibit minimal surface roughness in order to reduce light scattering. Scanning tunneling microscopy, with its high lateral and vertical resolution, is capable of quantifying the NLO polymer surface roughness induced by processing. Results are presented below in which STM was used to measure the surface roughness of films produced by spin-coating NLO-active polymers onto silicon substrates.