Resonance absorber based on thin films of pseudoisocyanine J-aggregates

Nanometre films of pseudoisocyanine N-alkyl-substituted J-aggregates are obtained on glass substrates by spin-coating from organic dye solutions. The optical and non-linear optical properties of these films are investigated. These films are shown to possess a high optical quality over the area of size more than 30 × 30 mm and a high photochemical stability. These films feature strong absorption saturation at the maximum of excitonic absorption of the aggregates. The radiative damage threshold of the films at the maximum of the excitonic absorption was measured to be 5 MW cm-2. The dispersion of optical nonlinearity of the films within the J-band is measured by the Z-scan and probe field methods. The films can be used as two-dimensional optical light-controlled switches.