Enhanced third harmonic generation from the epsilon-near-zero modes of ultrathin films

Luk, Ting S.; Ceglia, Domenico de; Liu, Sheng; Keeler, Gordon Arthur; Prasankumar, R. P.; Vincenti, Maria Antonietta; Scalora, Michael; Sinclair, Michael B.; Campione, Salvatore

doi:10.1063/1.4917457

Cited by 152 publications

(121 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…However, these techniques offer only limited control over the magnitude (and sign when applicable) of the wavelength-dependent nonlinear response, and typically involve a trade-off between the strength of the nonlinearity and the spectral position of the peak nonlinear response. It has been reported recently that materials with vanishingly small permittivitycommonly known as epsilon-near-zero or ENZ material -exhibit intriguing linear [12,13,14,15,16] and large nonlinear responses [17,18,19,20,21]. However, an ENZ material has a large nonlinear response over only a relatively narrow spectral range.…”

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confidence: 99%

Large optical nonlinearity of nanoantennas coupled to an epsilon-near-zero material

et al. 2018

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The size and operating energy of a nonlinear optical device are fundamentally constrained by the weakness of the nonlinear optical response of common materials. Here, we report that a 50-nm-thick optical metasurface made of optical dipole antennas coupled to an epsilon-near-zero material exhibits a broadband (∼ 400 nm bandwidth) and ultrafast (recovery time less than 1 ps) intensitydependent refractive index n 2 as large as −3.73 ± 0.56 cm 2 /GW. Furthermore, the metasurface exhibits a maximum optically induced refractive index change of ±2.5 over a spectral range of ∼ 200 nm. The inclusion of low-Q nanoantennas on an epsilon-near-zero thin film not only allows one to design a metasurface with an unprecedentedly large nonlinear optical response but also offers the flexibility to tailor the sign of the response. Our technique allows one to overcome a longstanding challenge in nonlinear optics, namely that of finding a material for which the nonlinear contribution to the refractive index is of the order of unity. It consequently offers the possibility of designing low-power nonlinear nano-optical devices with orders-of-magnitude smaller footprints.All-optical signal processing and computation are often hailed as breakthrough technologies for the next generation of computation and communication devices. Two important parameters of such devices, energy consumption and size, critically depend on 1 the strength of the nonlinear optical response of the materials from which they are made. However, materials typically exhibit an extremely weak nonlinear optical response. This property makes designing subwavelength all-optical active devices extremely difficult. Thus, all-optical active devices tend to have large footprints, which limits the integration density to many orders of magnitude smaller than what can be achieved in a state-of-the-art electronic integrated circuits [1,2]. Thus, materials with much stronger nonlinear optical responses are needed in order to enable integrated high-density on-chip nonlinear optical devices.Over the years several approaches have been explored to enhance the intrinsic nonlinear optical response of materials, including local field enhancement using composite structures [3,4,5], plasmonic structures [6,7], and metamaterials [8,9,10,11]. However, these techniques offer only limited control over the magnitude (and sign when applicable) of the wavelength-dependent nonlinear response, and typically involve a trade-off between the strength of the nonlinearity and the spectral position of the peak nonlinear response. It has been reported recently that materials with vanishingly small permittivitycommonly known as epsilon-near-zero or ENZ material -exhibit intriguing linear [12,13,14,15,16] and large nonlinear responses [17,18,19,20,21]. However, an ENZ material has a large nonlinear response over only a relatively narrow spectral range. Furthermore, the zero-permittivity wavelength, strength of the nonlinear response, and the losses depend on the optical properties of the ENZ material. In com...

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confidence: 99%

Large optical nonlinearity of nanoantennas coupled to an epsilon-near-zero material

et al. 2018

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“…In addition, we observe that the described nonlinear wavematter interaction is not due to the enhancement of the longitudinal electric field component e z [39][40][41][42][43][44][45]. Indeed, the transverse magnetic pulse incident from vacuum has a longitudinal component resulting from the finite size of the beam in the transverse direction (along the x-axis) and, due to the field matching at the slab edge, the longitudinal component within the slab is roughly |ε| −1 20 times larger than its vacuum counterpart.…”

Section: Laser and Photonics Reviewsmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…It is worth noting that the interaction regime has a highly nonlinear character since a distinct pulse self‐action occurs even if the slab is very thin, its thickness being comparable with the pulse carrier wavelength (

L = 1.368 λ_{0}

where

λ_{0} = 2 π c / ω_{0}

is the wavelength of the zero‐crossing‐point). In addition, we observe that the described nonlinear wave‐matter interaction is not due to the enhancement of the longitudinal electric field component

e_{z}

. Indeed, the transverse magnetic pulse incident from vacuum has a longitudinal component resulting from the finite size of the beam in the transverse direction (along the x ‐axis) and, due to the field matching at the slab edge, the longitudinal component within the slab is roughly

{| ε |}^{- 1} ≃ 20

times larger than its vacuum counterpart.…”

Section: Nonlinear Wave‐matter Interaction In the Enz Regimementioning

confidence: 82%

“…A similar mechanism has been exploited to predict a class of solitons where the intensity‐driven dielectric‐metal transition occurs along the transverse soliton profile, yielding exotic features like transverse power flow reversing , unusual shapes like hollow‐core , and two‐peaked and flat‐top profiles . Furthermore, the combination of the ENZ regime with nonlinearity benefits from the non‐resonant enhancement of the normal electric field component across the vacuum‐ENZ medium interface , producing intriguing effects like transmissivity directional hysteresis and enhancement of second and third harmonic generation . A different field enhancement mechanism has been identified within narrow ENZ plasmonic channels, which has been exploited to boost optical nonlinearities , to investigate temporal soliton excitation , and for the enhancement of second‐harmonic generation efficiency .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enhanced nonlinear effects in pulse propagation through epsilon‐near‐zero media

Ciattoni¹,

Rizza

Marini

et al. 2016

Laser & Photonics Reviews

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In recent years, unconventional metamaterial properties have triggered a revolution of electromagnetic research which has unveiled novel scenarios of wave-matter interaction. A very small dielectric permittivity is a leading example of such unusual features, since it produces an exotic static-like regime where the electromagnetic field is spatially slowly-varying over a physically large region. The so-called epsilon-near-zero metamaterials thus offer an ideal platform where to manipulate the inner details of the "stretched" field. Here we theoretically prove that a standard nonlinearity is able to operate such a manipulation to the point that even a thin slab produces a dramatic nonlinear pulse transformation, if the dielectric permittivity is very small within the field bandwidth. The predicted non-resonant releasing of full nonlinear coupling produced by the epsilon-near-zero condition does not resort to any field enhancement mechanisms and opens novel routes to exploiting matter nonlinearity for steering the radiation by means of ultra-compact structures.

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“…Such structures are used to control the wave front shape [36]; enhance the transmission of light through a subwavelength aperture [37] and nonlinear effects [38,39]; develop absorbers [40], photonic wires [41], and insulators [42]; and perform the third-harmonic generation [43]. The materials with the near-zero permittivity involve layered plasmon structures, indium tin oxide (ITO), metal-dielectric, polymer nanocomposites, and composites with core-shell nanoparticles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two Types of Localized States in a Photonic Crystal Bounded by an Epsilon near Zero Nanocomposite

2018

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Abstract:The spectral properties of a one-dimensional photonic crystal bounded by a resonant absorbing nanocomposite layer with the near-zero permittivity have been studied. The problem of calculating the transmittance, reflectance, and absorptance spectra of such structures at the normal and oblique incidence of light has been solved. It is shown that, depending on the permittivity sign near zero, the nanocomposite is characterized by either metallic or dielectric properties. The possibility of simultaneous formation of the Tamm plasmon polariton at the photonic crystal/metallic nanocomposite interface and the localized state similar to the defect mode with the field intensity maximum inside the dielectric nanocomposite layer is demonstrated. Specific features of field localization at the Tamm plasmon polariton and defect mode frequencies are analyzed.

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Enhanced third harmonic generation from the epsilon-near-zero modes of ultrathin films

Cited by 152 publications

References 48 publications

Large optical nonlinearity of nanoantennas coupled to an epsilon-near-zero material

Large optical nonlinearity of nanoantennas coupled to an epsilon-near-zero material

Enhanced nonlinear effects in pulse propagation through epsilon‐near‐zero media

Two Types of Localized States in a Photonic Crystal Bounded by an Epsilon near Zero Nanocomposite

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