Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on April 16, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: September 1, 1997 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1997-0672.pr001
Preface E X P L O S I V E GROWTH OF INFORMATION in the world is fueling the need for efficient, reliable, and low-cost acquisition, storage, processing, transmission, and display technologies. In the last several years, research aimed at addressing this need has demonstrated the great potential of electroactive and photoactive polymers as photonic and optoelectronic materials. Recent discoveries in these areas include high-data-rate and low-loss polymer optical fibers, high-speed polymer-based electro-optic modulators, bright polymer lightemitting diodes, high-diffraction-efficiency photorefractive polymers, highefficiency polymer photodetectors for visible-UV radiation, and organic thinfilm transistors comparable to amorphous silicon devices. Although these recent achievements represent exciting opportunities for major innovations in information technologies, the commercial realization of many segments of polymer-based photonics and optoelectronics awaits further research advances in addressing many scientific and technical challenges. This volume was developed from a symposium presented at the Pacific Polymer Conference (sponsored by the Pacific Polymer Federation), titled "Polymers for Advanced Optical Applications," in Kauai, Hawaii, December 12-16, 1995. We organized the symposium to provide an international forum to discuss recent advances and future prospects in the broad field of photonic and optoelectronic polymers. The symposium attracted more than 80 presentations and included 39 invited leading researchers from several countries. The chapters in this book were developed mostly from the invited presentations at the Kauai conference. In addition, five papers not presented at the symposium were invited for inclusion in the volume for the purpose of broadening the topical coverage of the book. In the spirit of the symposium, this book provides a broad overview of research advances in several areas of photonic and optoelectronic polymers as well as their promising applications. Among the main topics covered are diverse polymers for digital and holographic information storage, including photorefractive polymers; electroluminescent polymers for light sources, high speed transmission, high-power amplification, and high-speed modulation of optical signals in polymer waveguides and gradient-index fibers; thermally stable poled polymers for second-order nonlinear optics; self-assembly and nanostructure control as approaches to efficient photoelectronic and photonic properties; and thin-film transistors from organic semiconductors.
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Jenekhe and Wynne; Photonic and Optoelectronic Polymers ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1997.
Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on April 16, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: September 1, 1997 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1997-0672.pr001
An important theme of this volume is the interrelationships among materials chemistry, photonic and optoelectronic properties, and device performance. The design and synthesis of novel polymer compositions and architectures aimed at enhanced properties are emphasized in some chapters. Other contributions feature the development of novel approaches to processing and fabrication of photonic and optoelectronic polymers into thin films, multilayers, fibers, waveguides, gratings, and device structures. These approaches, which emphasize polymer synthesis, processing, and device fabrication, are complementary and synergistic. The interdisciplinary nature of many of the chapters suggests that chemists, chemical engineers, materials scientists, and others interested in the design, synthesis, and processing of diverse photonic and optoelectronic polymers will find this volume useful. This book will also be valuable to physicists, electrical engineers, optical engineers, and others concerned with the design, fabrication, and evaluation of polymer-based electronic, optoelectronic, and photonic devices and components. Acknowledgments The assembly of leading researchers for the symposium and the subsequent editing of this volume for publication would not be possible without the generous financial support of the Office of Naval Research. We also thank X . Linda Chen and Laura Devincentis at the University of Rochester, A. Ervin and M . Talukder at the Office of Naval Research, and Anne Wilson and Vanessa Evans-Johnson at ACS Books for their essential help with the book. SAMSON A. JENEKHE
Departments of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry University of Rochester Rochester, N Y 14627-0166 KENNETH J. W Y N N E
Physical Sciences S&T Division 331 Office of Naval Research U.S. Department of the Navy 800 North Quincy Street Arlington, V A 22217-5660 May 2, 1997
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Jenekhe and Wynne; Photonic and Optoelectronic Polymers ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1997.
