We describe the production and optical characterization of planar dielectric waveguides of the organic polymers Poly-(alpha) -Methyl-Styrene and Poly-Phenyl-Acetylene. Single mode waveguides, at (lambda) equals 1.064 micrometers , were obtained by the use of the spin-coating technique. Propagation losses were measured through detection of the out of plane scattered light are as low as 0.7 dB/cm. The waveguiding films were spun over fused silica substrates that were previously etched in order to obtain two grating couplers with a 0.55 micrometers period. Nonlinear grating coupling was investigated in the case of Poly-Phenyl-Acetylene, with a 70 ps pulsed source at (lambda) equals 1.064 micrometers at high repetition rate (frep equals 76 MHz).© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.