Abstract

Progress in photonic technology for application in signal processing and in optical computing is made possible by the aid of suitable optoelectronic hardware. Organic materials and especially various organic dyes¹ show a promising nonlinear optical behaviour by presenting enhanced nonlinear effects, which exceed those of known optical materials and thus become excellent candidates for utilization in optical devices. Organic dyes are characterized by their strong optically induced nonlinear resonant coefficient of absorption, which alters the readout light absorption, and thus enables them to become the most appropriate candidates for spatial light modulation (SLM) and optical switching.

© 1994 IEEE