Self-assembled chromophoric multilayers having large second-order optical nonlinearities can be combined with linear guiding materials such as polymethylmethacrylate to produce two-component frequency doubling waveguides. This approach introduces considerable flexibility in optimizing the trade-off between the overlap of waveguide mode profiles and linear absorption. Extremely low waveguide propagation losses can be achieved because electric field poling and the accompanying poling-induced optical scattering are obviated. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.