Optics Express 2013-01-28

Third-harmonic UV generation in silicon nitride nanostructures.

Tingyin Ning, Outi Hyvärinen, Henna Pietarinen, Tommi Kaplas, Martti Kauranen, Göery Genty

Index: Opt. Express 21(2) , 2012-7, (2013)

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Abstract

We report on strong UV third-harmonic generation from silicon nitride films and resonant waveguide gratings. We determine the absolute value of third-order susceptibility of silicon nitride at wavelength of 1064 nm to be χ(³) (-3ω,ω,ω,ω) = (2.8 ± 0.6) × 10⁻²⁰m²/V², which is two orders of magnitude larger than that of fused silica. The third-harmonic generation is further enhanced by a factor of 2000 by fabricating a resonant waveguide grating onto a silicon nitride film. Our results extend the operating range of CMOS-compatible nonlinear materials to the UV spectral regime.