Copolyimides for gradient-index optics
Abstract
Copolymerization offers a promising route to the accurate control of material properties, such as refractive index. For compatible polymers, an ability to produce copolymers with incrementally varying refractive indices is a basic requirement for fabricating gradient-index (GRIN) optics. To determine the accuracy of this approach, we examined the composition dependence of index in several optical copolyimides. We observed deviations from standard model predictions that exceed 5 × 10−3 at certain compositions, consistent with non-ideal copolymer formation. This implies that state-of-the-art GRIN optical design requires careful calibration of the composition dependence in these copolymers. We further found that birefringence is sensitive to the structures of the component polymers, and that the thermo-optic and thermal expansion coefficients vary linearly with composition, within the experimental uncertainty.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Sep 23, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1364/ome.460831
Entities
People
- Armand Rosenberg
- James S. Shirk
- Sang Ho Lee
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Naval Research Laboratory