Large-Area Organic Electro-optic Single Crystalline Thin Films Grown by Evaporation-Induced Local Supersaturation with Surface Interactions

We report on the fabrication of very large-area organic single crystalline thin films on amorphous hydrophilic CN- and OH-modified substrates for electro-optic applications. The phenolic configurationally locked polyene (CLP) crystals having large macroscopic nonlinearity and an electro-optic coefficient of r(333) = 52 pm/V at 1.3 mu m, are grown by evaporation-induced local supersaturation with surface interactions (ELSSI). The method is based on controlling the surface tension of the hydrophilic chromophore solution on various substrates, as well as on controlling chemical interactions between the CLP molecules and modified surfaces. The grown phenolic CLP thin films with large single crystalline domains of over 2 cm(2) in area and thicknesses in the range of 0.1-4 mu m with good optical quality are suitable for the realization of integrated photonic devices.