Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Amorphous thin films of a typical side-chain nonlinear optical polymer were investigated by means of dielectric spectroscopy and thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) within the temperature range -40°C to 230°C. Three distinct relaxation processes, labelled α, β and γ were observed. The α-relaxation, associated with the glass transition, is well described by the Vogel-Fulcher relation, while the sub glass transition β and γ-relaxation follow Arrhenius relations. The advantage of TSDC over dielectric spectroscopy is demonstrated for the investigation of the weak β-relaxation in the side-chain polymer. Furthermore, the β -relaxation is responsible for the initial, fast decay of the electro-optical response of the side-chain polymer at room temperature.