An all-optical protocol to determine the molecular origin of radiation damage/enhancement in electro-optic polymeric materials

Previous studies on the radiation effects upon polymer and polymer-based photonic materials suggest that the radiation resistance of the material is heavily dependent on the choice of polymer-host and guest-chromophore. To date, the best results have been achieved with electro optic polymeric materials based on CLD1 doped in APC, which has resulted in improved performance at the device level upon gamma-ray irradiation at moderate doses. However, the physical mechanisms are yet not fully understood. In this paper, we introduce an all-optical (linear and nonlinear) characterization protocol that is aimed to elucidate the mechanisms of the radiation damage/enhancement of electro-optic polymeric materials. This protocol is used to quantify the damage/enhancement effects upon irradiation in terms of the relevant physical parameters on a collection of electro-optic polymeric thin film samples.