| ODEON project aims at developing innovative multifunctional materials-materials opt electronic devices. The research will be carried out on design, synthesis and fabrication of an interferon metric electro-optical modulator demonstrator. Electro-optical modulators are key devices in telecommunication. They encode data into an optical signal to transmit over fibber optic cables. Today's available devices are based on lithium neonate. They present intrinsic limitations in the modulation frequency and high production costs. Exploitation of active organic molecules connected to polymers can represent a convenient alternative strategy. First trials on these materials suggest that the drawbacks of the present technology can be overcome. We plan to fabricate a demonstrator device based on new organic chromospheres with stronghyperpolarizability, specially designed and synthesized. The chromospheres will be hosted in, or grafted on, polymeric matrices and hybrid sol gel-derived glasses. They will be manipulated at nanometre scale by means of electric or light fields in order to obtain suitably oriented molecular arrays. These materials will be patterned using different techniques to produce simple wave guiding structures, to test interferometer geometry suitable for the planned electro-optic device. In order to attain our target, a deep insight into chemical and physical phenomena relating to engineering engineering of innovative multifunctional materials is needed. For this purpose, proper characterization of structural, mechanical, linear and non-linear optical properties will be performed. As final project stage appropriate functional experiments will be carried out to test the demonstrator. High level of competence and complementarities of partners' along with the presence of two industrial partners are going to ensure a success and achievement of the objectives. Moreover, the expertise of a leading company operating on the opt electronic device market, together with innovative materials. |