Quadratic Nonlinear Behaviour of Various Langmuir-Blodgett Molecules

The Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) technique is well known as a method of building-up ordered arrays of organic molecules, and especially as a means of imposing a noncentrosymmetric structure from molecules that crystallize in a centrosymmetric space group(1–3). L-B films for use in quadratic nonlinear optics can be ordered in a statistically noncentrosymmetric lattice. The method involves the compression of a mono-layer of the organic molecule, spread on top of a water surface, into a two-dimensional solid, followed by the repeated dipping of the substrate to be coated into and out of the subphase. Monolayers may be deposited onto the substrate both on immersion and withdrawal, resulting in a cen…