Numerous innovations in photonics were realized on the base of nonlinear optical properties and notably in information technologies. To take advantage of nonlinear optical properties of glass, multi-disciplinary research efforts were necessary combining optics, glass chemistry, material science as well as development of optical or electrical polarizations processes.
This presentation addresses fundamental aspects of the second order optical properties in glasses, but will also give more details on recent progresses demonstrating that amorphous inorganic material can now compete with lithium niobate single crystal. By using a thermo-electrical imprinting process, the possibility to manage at the micrometer scale geometry and location of efficient second order optical responses. (χ(2)= 29 pm.V−1 at 1.06 µm) is demonstrated on amorphous niobate optical thin films. This paves the way for the future design of integrated nonlinear photonic circuits based on amorphous inorganic materials enabled by the spatially selective and efficient second order optical susceptibility of these promising and novel optical materials.
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