Optical devices, polysilane films

Tacticity is required for the synthesis of crystalline thin polysilane films used for optical and semiconductor devices. Modern synthetic routes allow control over the conformation and tacticity of polysilane molecules used as precursors for thin layers of photoresists, photoconductors and nonlinear optical phases in complex semiconductor and (opto)electronic devices. These properties can be exploited only if the synthesis method ensures a minimal level of contamination, especially with oxygen and metals, and special care is taken to limit electronic-grade polysilanes to a level of contamination on the order of a few ppm in the case of oxygen and in the ppb range for metals. The reactivity of polysilane toward oxygen has forced placing the devices in a helium environment during measurement procedures.36... 

UV light induced refractive index change has been observed in organic polysilane (PS)-silica and PS-titania hybrid thin films prepared by the sol-gel method.135 The magnitude of the refractive index change was found to be 0.16 for 50 wt % PS-silica and 0.18 for 50 wt % PS-titania hybrid thin films. It was demonstrated that the refractive index change of the hybrid thin films is due to the photodecomposition of PS. These findings indicate potential usefulness of the hybrid thin films as optical devices with refractive index modulated structures. 

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