Thermally stable J-type phthalocyanine dimers as new non-linear absorbers for low-threshold optical limiters

Abstract

The possibility of developing new advanced optical limiters of laser radiation at 532 nm with low limiting thresholds has been demonstrated on thermally stable phthalocyanine J-type dimeric complexes of Mg, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Co. A new “threshold” model based on radiative transfer phenomena in nonlinear optical media was suggested for the exact definition of nonlinear absorption coefficient β and optical limiting threshold I_c. This model allows the determination of the optical characteristics of the limiter in the same active material with layers of different thicknesses, as well as the use of different parameters of laser radiation, such as cross-sectional spatial profiles of the laser beam and shapes of the laser pulse over time. The maximum value of the nonlinear absorption coefficient (β = 360 cm GW⁻¹) and the lowest limiting threshold (I_c = 0.03 J cm⁻²) were estimated for a J-type zinc phthalocyanine dimer.