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Free-Carrier Induced Optical Nonlinearities in Narrow Bandgap Semiconductors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

D. Walrod ,
S. Y. Auyang  and
P. A. Wolff
D. Walrod
Affiliation:
Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 02139
S. Y. Auyang
Affiliation:
Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 02139
P. A. Wolff
Affiliation:
Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 02139
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Abstract

Free-carrier induced third-order optical nonlinearities can be both large and fast in narrow-gap semiconductors. We have studied a variety of mechanisms in bulk semiconductors and heterostructures using CO2 lasers and found third-order susceptibilities as large as 2×10−3 esu with picosecond relaxation times. These mechanisms saturate at much higher intensities than do slower mechanisms and hence induce huge modulations of the dielectric function. In addition, most of these processes are nonresonant so they do not require the exact matching of material parameters and are relatively insensitive to temperature.

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