High net gain at 514 nm in a photorefractive polymer doped with a chalcone derivative

We report on the photorefractive properties of a low Tg composite consisting of functionalized polysiloxane doped with a chalcone derivative. The high transparency of this doping molecule enabled the observation of high net gain at 514 nm. Orientational and Pockels contributions to the total refractive index variations were measured by frequency-dependent ellipsometry experiments. Finally, the field dependence of the gain coefficient is described using Kukhtarev’s model for the space charge field with an effective trap density as a single fitting parameter.