Modeling relaxation processes in poled electro-optic polymer films

Chielectric spectroscopy, which is frequency-domain electric-field-induced second-harmonic generation, was developed to study the nonlinear optical response near the glass-transition temperature on short time scales. These measurements, along with time-domain second-harmonic generation and time-and frequency-domain dielectric measurements, were used to characterize the decay of poling-induced electro-optic properties of guest-host and side-chain methacrylate polymers that have glass-transition temperatures in the range 90 < T-g < 125 degrees C. Time- and frequency-dependent data were fitted with a three-level model. The temperature dependences of the time constants from the polymeric systems were then compared, and a scaling model for predicting useful lifetimes of poled electro-optic media is discussed. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.