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Journal ArticleDOI

Broadband terahertz characterization of the refractive index and absorption of some important polymeric and organic electro-optic materials

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report broad bandwidth, 0.1-10 THz time-domain spectroscopy of linear and electro-optic polymers for broadband THz applications.
Abstract: We report broad bandwidth, 0.1–10 THz time-domain spectroscopy of linear and electro-optic polymers. The common THz optical component materials high-density polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyimide (Kapton), and polyethylene cyclic olefin copolymer (Topas) were evaluated for broadband THz applications. Host polymers polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, and two types of amorphous polycarbonate were also examined for suitability as host for several important chromophores in guest-host electro-optic polymer composites for use as broadband THz emitters and sensors.

Summary (1 min read)

I. INTRODUCTION

  • Recent advances in air plasma terahertz (THz) generation have revitalized broadband THz time-domain spectroscopy (TDS), 1, 2 bringing the THz community one step closer to broadband imaging, standoff detection, materials identification and analysis.
  • As such, it becomes increasingly important to catalog the optical properties of materials across the so-called THz gap, spanning 0.1-10 THz.
  • 7 Free-space EO sampling in poled polymers represents a simple alternative to THz field-induced second harmonic generation 1, 2 for broadband THz sensing.
  • Here the authors report the optical properties of several technologically important polymers from 0.1-10 THz.
  • These materials include polyimide , poly [bisphenol A carbonateco-4,4 0 -(3,3,5-trimethyl cyclohexylidene) diphenol carbonate] (APC), poly [bisphenol A carbonate] (BPC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), poly (styrene-comethyl methacrylate) (PS-PMMA), polyethylene cyclic olefin copolymer , polytetrafluoroethylene , and high-density polyethylene (HDPE).

II. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

  • Details of their THz-TDS experimental setup based on air-plasma THz generation and FSEOS in EO polymers are reported elsewhere.
  • 11 Calculations on the chromophores were done on single molecules using the 6-311G(d,p) basis set and the B3LYP functional.
  • The polymers were modeled as oligomers containing eight monomers for Teflon, PMMA, and Topas and four monomers for BPC, APC, and Kapton.
  • The THz refractive index and absorption coefficients are summarized in Fig. 4 , where Topas is included for comparison.
  • The observed features will lead to poor phase matching and strong THz absorption in EO polymers used for THz emission or detection resulting in spectral gaps.

III. CONCLUSIONS

  • By using a broadband, air-plasma/EO polymer THz-TDS system, the authors have identified absorption features in Teflon, Kapton, and PMMA that make these materials poor choices for broadband THz components such as lenses, beam splitters, optical windows, or substrates.
  • Topas and PS have relatively constant refractive indices and show low loss across the THz regime, making them ideal materials for passive broadband THz optical components, even for THz guided wave applications.
  • The nonpolar nature of Topas makes it difficult to heavily dope this polymer with the highly dipolar chromophores potentially precluding its use as a host polymer for guesthost THz generation and sensing.
  • The addition of nonlinear optical chromophores into polymer hosts generally increases the refractive index and induces weak absorption features due to the specific structure of the chromophores.
  • EO polymers based on APC and BPC, although ideal for broadband FSEOS of THz pulses in thin solid films, may exhibit too much absorption for long THz emitting waveguide structures.

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author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in Cunningham, Paul et al.; Broadband terahertz
characterization of the refractive index and absorption of some important polymeric and organic
electro-optic materials; Journal of Applied Physics 109, 043505, 22 February, 2011;
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3549120
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Broadband terahertz characterization of the refractive index and absorption
of some important polymeric and organic electro-optic materials
Paul D. Cunningham,
1,a)
Nestor N. Valdes,
1
Felipe A. Vallejo,
1
L. Michael Hayden,
1,b)
Brent P olishak,
2
Xing-Hua Zhou,
3
Jingdong Luo,
3,4
Alex K.-Y. Jen,
2,3,4
Jarrod C. Williams,
5
and Robert J. Twieg
5
1
Department of Physics, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA
2
Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
3
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle,
Washington 98195, USA
4
Institute of Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
5
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 44242, USA
(Received 8 December 2010; accepted 20 December 2010; published online 22 February 2011)
We report broad bandwidth, 0.1–10 THz time-domain spectroscopy of linear and electro-optic polymers.
The common THz optical component materials high-density polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene,
polyimide (Kapton), and polyethylene cyclic olefin copolymer (Topas) were evaluated for broadband
THz applications. Host polymers polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, and two types of amorphous
polycarbonate were also examined for suitability as host for several important chromophores in
guest-host electro-optic polymer composites for use as broadband THz emitters and sensors.
V
C
2011
American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3549120]
I. INTRODUCTION
Recent advances in air plasma terahertz (THz) genera-
tion have revitalized broadband THz time-domain spectros-
copy (TDS),
1,2
bringing the THz community one step closer
to broadband imaging, standoff detection, materials identifi-
cation and analysis. As such, it becomes increasingly impor-
tant to catalog the optical properties of materials across the
so-called THz gap, spanning 0.1–10 THz. This will allow for
more accurate modeling of THz transmission through
layered media or improved optical components for THz
systems.
In particular, polymeric materials have found numerous
uses in the THz regime as lenses, windows, beam-blocks,
waveguides,
3
and photonic structures
4
as well as emitter and
sensor materials.
5,6
The appeal of amorphous materials for
THz applications is their lack of the transverse optical pho-
nons that are present in crystalline materials that give rise to
strong absorption in the THz regime.
Electro-optic (EO) guest-host polymers have been uti-
lized as broadband THz emitters and sensors for a number of
years, owing to their tunable properties, high nonlinearity,
and lack of phonon absorptions.
7
Free-space EO sampling
(FSEOS) in poled polymers represents a simple alternative
to THz field-induced second harmonic generation (TFISH)
1,2
for broadband THz sensing. These applications require
knowledge of the THz refractive index to address phase
matching requirements and the THz absorption to guide the
selection of appropriate material composition and device
geometry.
Several neat polymers have been studied over the
0.12 THz range,
8
typically available through the use of
ZnTe emitters and sensors or photoconductive dipole anten-
nae. Many materials that appear transparent between 0.1 and
2 THz have absorption resonances at higher THz frequen-
cies. So as broadband THz work becomes more ubiquitous,
the optical properties of polymers must be elucidated at
higher frequencies.
Here we report the optical properties of several technolog-
ically important polymers from 0.1–10 THz. These materials
include polyimide (Kapton), poly [bisphenol A carbonate-
co-4,4
0
-(3,3,5-trimethyl cyclohexylidene) diphenol carbonate]
(APC), poly [bisphenol A carbonate] (BPC), polymethyl
methacrylate (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), poly (styrene-co-
methyl methacrylate) (PS-PMMA), polyethylene cyclic olefin
copolymer (Topas), polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), and
high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Guest-host EO polymers
composed of a guest dye in a polymer host: AJLZ53 in a PS-
PMMA copolymer, AJLZ53 in BPC, AJLP131 in BPC,
AJTB203 (Ref. 9) in BPC, Lemke (Ref. 10)inAPC,and
DCDHF-6V (Ref. 10) in APC, are also examined.
II. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Details of our THz-TDS experimental setup based on
air-plasma THz generation and FSEOS in EO polymers are
reported elsewhere.
2
Neat polymer samples were prepared
by taking commercially available polymer pellets from
chemical distributors (PMMA, BPC, and APC from Sigma-
Aldrich; Topas from Advanced Polymers), heating them
above their glass transition temperature, and pressing them
to the desired thickness in a hydraulic press (Carver 3850).
The Kapton was received as a sheet from Dupont while the
Teflon and HDPE were slabs of engineering quality materi-
als obtained from McMaster-Carr. Guest-host EO polymers
a)
Present address: Electronics Science and Technology Division, Code 6812,
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA.
b)
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail:
hayden@umbc.edu.
0021-8979/2011/109(4)/043505/5/$30.00
V
C
2011 American Institute of Physics109, 043505-1
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS 109, 043505 (2011)

were mixed in solution, drop cast onto slides, and baked to
remove the solvent, and individual drop cast films were
stacked and pressed to the desired thickness in a hydraulic
press. These methods resulted in uniform monolithic films
that exhibit low birefringence.
Assignments of molecular motions for the THz absorp-
tion features we see in the spectra of these polymers and
chromophores were made by performing density functional
theory (DFT) calculations using the Gaussian 09 suite of pro-
grams.
11
Calculations on the chromophores were done on
single molecules using the 6-311G(d,p) basis set and the
B3LYP functional. The polymer calculations used the
6-31G(d) basis set and the B3LYP functional. The polymers
were modeled as oligomers containing eight monomers for
Teflon, PMMA, and Topas and four monomers for BPC,
APC, and Kapton. Because exactly reproducing the experi-
mental spectra from theoretical calculations is beyond the
scope of this paper, we aim, merely, to qualitatively identify
the important modes for a given THz feature, which for these
low energy vibrations nearly always involves the collective
motion of almost all the atoms in the molecule. The assign-
ments we list here reflect those modes that have the greatest
amplitudes within a given band.
The refractive index, n, and absorption coefficient, a,of
common materials for THz optics are shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
The HDPE sample is a 90 lm thick black garbage bag, com-
monly used to block residual infrared, visual, and ultraviolet
light while transmitting THz radiation. HDPE is known to
have a nearly constant THz refractive index and a low THz
absorption
8
and is commonly used as a binder material when
making pellets for spectroscopy.
12
HDPE is also used for
THz lenses, windows, and polarizers.
13
The featureless,
nearly linear absorption trend persists across the THz regime
and is also observed in Fourier transform infrared spectros-
copy (FTIR).
14
Though it is listed here as absorption, it is
better thought of as attenuance and could have contributions
from scattering. At higher frequencies, the losses through a
black HDPE beam block will be significant. Where possible,
high resistivity silicon (HRSi) placed at Brewster’s angle
would make a better choice for a beam block, owing to its
very low THz absorption.
14
This may not be possible in
time-resolved THz studies as free-carriers in photoexcited
HRSi will absorb at THz frequencies.
Teflon has the same backbone chemical structure as
HDPE but differs in the substitution of fluorine for all the
hydrogens. It has low absorption for THz frequencies below
3 THz and good mechanical properties, making it a poten-
tially desirable material for THz lenses and windows
13
in
that frequency band. However, broadband spectroscopy
shows strong absorption features at 6.1 and 8.3 THz,
Fig. 1(b), which have previously been assigned to the CF
2
twisting and scissor motion, respectively.
15
These features
have been previously seen using wideband THz spectroscopy
based on a tunable DAST source
16
as well as FTIR.
13
Near
these features, the index of refraction shows expected deriva-
tivelike frequency dependence consistent with the Lorentz
oscillator model. The refractive index of the 258 lm thick
sample agrees with previous reports less than 2 THz.
17
These
strong absorption features make Teflon a poor choice for
broadband THz optical components.
Polyimides are a class of polymers with good mechani-
cal properties that are resistant to most solvents and fre-
quently are used for electrical and thermal insulation.
Kapton polyimide is thought to have low THz absorption,
FIG. 1. (Color online) The refractive index (dotted) and absorption coeffi-
cient (solid) of (a) a black HDPE garbage bag and (b) Teflon. The chemical
structures are included as insets.
FIG. 2. (Color online) The refractive index (dotted) and absorption coeffi-
cient (solid) of (a) Kapton and (b) Topas. The chemical structures are pic-
tured between the graphs. Note the fine scale for the Topas refractive index,
emphasizing the precision of the measurement and the nearly constant value
of the index for this material over the THz band.
043505-2 Cunningham et al . J. Appl. Phys. 109, 043505 (2011)

making it a desirable material for optical cryostat windows
for THz applications. The 125 lm Kapton sample shows
strong absorption features at 4.9, 6.1, and 7.8 THz, Fig. 2(a).
The 4–5.5 THz band is associated with out-of-plane butterfly
motions of the rings, while the band centered at 7.5 THz is
associated with a combination of in-plane twisting of the
rings and longitudinal stretching of the imide rings relative
to the central six-membered ring. These features make Kap-
ton a poor choice of window material for broad bandwidth
THz applications.
Topas is a cyclic olefin/ethylene copolymer. Due to very
low absorption, it has found applications in THz waveguid-
ing.
4
Broadband THz spectroscopy of a 3.2 mm thick sample
shows an index of refraction between 1.52 and 1.53 and
absorption < 3cm
1
across the THz band, Fig. 2(b). These
properties make Topas ideal for broadband THz optical
components, including waveguides and window materials.
Topas is also resistive to most acids and solvents, making it
a good choice for a substrate material for broadband THz
spectroscopy.
Typical THz spectroscopy substrates include z-cut
quartz and fused silica. Although quartz substrates show low
absorption over narrow bands, the crystalline structure will
lead to phonon absorptions. Fused silica, an amorphous glass
typically manufactured from quartz, shows significant losses
at higher frequencies.
14
Common host materials for EO guest host polymers
include PS, PMMA, PS-PMMA, BPC, and APC, Fig. 3.
These are also common construction materials and may also
be useful for THz optical components. The THz refractive
index and absorption coefficients are summarized in Fig. 4,
where Topas is included for comparison. To achieve good
velocity matching between the optical and THz beams
involved in optical rectification or FSEOS, the refractive
index should be constant throughout the THz regime.
While the refractive indices of BPC, APC, and PS are rel-
atively flat, PMMA shows several features. There are corre-
sponding absorption features centered at 2.7 and 6.6 THz.
They have previously been assigned to the rotor motion of the
methyl groups on the side-chain and the wagging of the car-
boxylic groups, respectively.
18
Both n and a of the 306 lm
PMMA sample agree with previous measurements at < 1.2 THz.
8
The observed features will lead to poor phase matching and
strong THz absorption in EO polymers used for THz emis-
sion or detection resulting in spectral gaps.
On the other hand, PS shows very low THz absorption
and a relatively constant refractive index, similar to Topas.
These properties could make PS a good host material for
THz EO polymers. Unfortunately the low glass transition
temperature of PS would allow chromophores to re-orient
more easily, leading to an optical nonlinearity that decays
with time. The measured n and a of the 388 lm thick PS
sample are similar to previous measurements in the literature
< 1 THz.
19
Both n and a of the 316 and 335 lm thick BPC and
APC samples are also similar to previous measurements in
literature < 1.5 THz.
8
The relatively constant refractive
index and low absorption have led to EO polymers based on
these hosts that are capable of broadband THz emission and
detection.
7,9
The higher refractive index of these hosts will
also contribute to higher sensitivity in FSEOS, as the
detected signal is proportional to the index cubed. However,
given that each 1 cm
1
of absorption coefficient corresponds
to an optical loss of 4.3 dB/cm, EO polymers based on APC
and BPC may exhibit too much absorption for waveguide
applications.
Numerous chromophore dye molecules have been incor-
porated in guest-host EO polymers for THz applica-
tions.
5,7,9,10,20
The chromophores we chose to examine are
Lemke, DCDHF-6-V, AJTB203, AJLP131, and AJLZ53,
2123
Fig. 5. The short Lemke and DCDHF-6-V chromophores have
been successfully used in broadband THz emitters and sensors
for Ti:Sapphire laser based systems operating at 800 nm
wavelengths. The longer phenyltetraene chromophores have
red shifted absorption and are capable of achieving larger non-
linearity. For this reason, they are desirable for THz emitters
and sensors operating in the infrared near telecom laser
wavelengths.
The addition of Lemke and DCDHF-6-V to APC leads
to an increase in both the refractive index and absorption,
FIG. 3. The chemical structures of common EO polymer hosts PS, PMMA,
Poly(styrene-co-MMA), BPC, and APC.
FIG. 4. (Color online) The (a) refractive index and (b) absorption coefficient
of BPC (solid), APC (dotted), PS, PMMA, and Topas.
043505-3 Cunningham et al . J. Appl. Phys. 109, 043505 (2011)

Fig. 6. Both n and a reported here for a 238 lm 40% Lemke/
60% APC and 315 lm DCDHF-6-V/APC sample are con-
sistent with previous reports.
7
Absorption features can be
identified at 4.2, 5.9, and 8 THz in Lemke/APC that have
also been previously observed in spectra of Lemke/PS and
can be attributed to molecular motions of the Lemke dye.
18
The feature at 4.2 THz is associated with a scissor motion of
the CN end groups, the 5.9 THz band with a general flexing
of the vinyl bridge, and the 8 THz feature with a butterfly
motion of the CN group and the conjugated vinyl bridge.
18
The absorption features at 4.9 and 5.7, in DCDHF-6-V/APC
are due to similar atomic motions as found in the Lemke
molecule while the 8.6 THz band is due to a combination of
two modes, one of which is an out-of-plane wagging of the
lone CN group attached to the dihydrofuran ring and the
other is due to an in-plane oscillation of the hexyl tails and
phenyl group attached to the lone N atom.
Similarly, the addition of chromophores to BPC leads to
an increase in both the refractive index and absorption coeffi-
cient, Fig. 7. The 217 lm thick 25% AJTB203/75% BPC dis-
plays absorption features at 4.4, 5.5, 7.1, and 8.6 THz. The
band at 4.4 THz is due to symmetric and asymmetric scissor
motions of the three CN groups. The 5.5 THz band is due to an
in-phase butterfly motion of the CN groups and a corresponding
flexing of the vinyl bridge. The band near 7.1 THz is due to a
flexing of the alkyl groups attached to the N atom. The band
near 8.6 THz is due to general oscillations of the ring and vinyl
bridge in the center of the molecule. The 286 lmthick25%
AJLP131/75% BPC sample shows absorption features at 4.5,
5.5, 7.9, and 8.6 THz. The molecular motions accounting for
the main THz bands in AJLP131 are qualitatively the same as
those in AJTB203. The 324 lm thick 25% AJLZ53/75% BPC
sample has absorption features at 4.5 and 5.5 THz with molecu-
lar origins similar to those in AJTB203 and AJLP131 and a
broad band centered near 7.3 THz that represents several modes
associated with rotor motions associated with the various
methyl groups distributed about the molecule coupled to a gen-
eral, low amplitude twisting of the vinyl bridge. The similarity
in many of the absorption features of the chromophore mole-
cules is clearly related to the similarity in the chemical structure
of these chromophores. These modest absorption features do
not significantly affect the emitted or detected spectra for a typ-
ical film thickness between 50 and 100 lm. However, they
may significantly limit the length of a THz emitting waveguide
structure.
Although PMMA has large absorption features in the
THz regime, a copolymer of PMMA and PS may show sig-
nificantly less absorption. The copolymer would also have a
FIG. 6. (Color online) The (a) refractive index and (b) absorption coefficient
of Lemke/APC (dotted) and DVDHF-6-V/APC compared to pure APC.
FIF. 7. (Color online) The (a) refractive index and (b) absorption coefficient
of AJLZ53/BPC, AJLP131/BPC (dotted), and AJTB203/BPC, compared to
pure BPC.
FIG. 5. The chemical structures of chromophores Lemke, DCDHF-6-V,
AJTB203, AJLP131, and AJLZ53.
043505-4 Cunningham et al . J. Appl. Phys. 109, 043505 (2011)

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Frequently Asked Questions (15)
Q1. What are the characteristics of the EO polymers?

The relatively constant refractive index and low absorption have led to EO polymers based on these hosts that are capable of broadband THz emission and detection. 

The featureless, nearly linear absorption trend persists across the THz regime and is also observed in Fourier transform infrared spectros-copy (FTIR). 

Assignments of molecular motions for the THz absorption features the authors see in the spectra of these polymers and chromophores were made by performing density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the Gaussian 09 suite of programs. 

To achieve good velocity matching between the optical and THz beams involved in optical rectification or FSEOS, the refractive index should be constant throughout the THz regime. 

Topas is also resistive to most acids and solvents, making it a good choice for a substrate material for broadband THz spectroscopy. 

The observed features will lead to poor phase matching andstrong THz absorption in EO polymers used for THz emission or detection resulting in spectral gaps. 

Polyimides are a class of polymers with good mechanical properties that are resistant to most solvents and frequently are used for electrical and thermal insulation. 

The higher refractive index of these hosts will also contribute to higher sensitivity in FSEOS, as the detected signal is proportional to the index cubed. 

18 The absorption features at 4.9 and 5.7, in DCDHF-6-V/APC are due to similar atomic motions as found in the Lemketwo modes, one of which is an out-of-plane wagging of the lone CN group attached to the dihydrofuran ring and the other is due to an in-plane oscillation of the hexyl tails and phenyl group attached to the lone N atom. 

Where possible, high resistivity silicon (HRSi) placed at Brewster’s angle would make a better choice for a beam block, owing to its very low THz absorption. 

14Common host materials for EO guest host polymers include PS, PMMA, PS-PMMA, BPC, and APC, Fig. 3. These are also common construction materials and may also be useful for THz optical components. 

The addition of nonlinear optical chromophores into polymer hosts generally increasesdue to the specific structure of the chromophores. 

Because exactly reproducing the experimental spectra from theoretical calculations is beyond the scope of this paper, the authors aim, merely, to qualitatively identify the important modes for a given THz feature, which for these low energy vibrations nearly always involves the collective motion of almost all the atoms in the molecule. 

the addition of chromophores to BPC leads to an increase in both the refractive index and absorption coefficient, Fig. 7. 

The authors see that any guest-host polymer system using PMMA or a PMMA copolymer as a host will exhibit significant THz absorption, leading to significant losses and spectral gaps if used for THz emission or detection.