Inorganic-organic composites for optoelectronics

Abstract

The sol-gel process allows the preparation of glasses and composites with homogeneities sufficient for optical applications, since phase dimensions can be kept below the level of undesired Rayleigh scattering. This is of special importance for inorganic-organic composites. By other methods, precipitates of inorganic phase may appear within the organic matrix and cause scattering. By chemical control of the particle surface-free energy, it is possible to tailor particle size and reactivity, and processing and final properties can be adapted over wide ranges. Using these principles, thick SiO2 layers for waveguides, refractive index tailored planar waveguides patterned by photolithography, and active waveguides containing semiconductor quantum dots or metal clusters can be synthesized.