Abstract

Formation of novel semiconductor-based materials for optics and optoelectronics is an actual task of modem nanotechnology. Nanostructured silicon, for example porous silicon produced by electrochemical etching of crystalline silicon, is of special interest since silicon is a basic material of the modem electronics and optoelectronics. Si nanostructuring results in dramatical changes of both linear and nonlinear optical properties of this material. In this paper we study mesoporous silicon with the pore and Si nanocrystals of 10... 100 mn in diameter. Anisotropic pore fonnation in this material leads to its strong birefringence. Moreover, nano structuring is recently shown in experiments on third-harmonic generation in biréfringent mesoporous Si (mesopor-Si) to result in increase of effective cubic susceptibility χ⁽³⁾’(3ω;ω,ω,ω) and modification of the χ⁽³⁾ tensor symmetry [1], However, the influence of anisotropy and porosity on efficiency of such processes as two-photon absorption (TPA) and self-focusing in mesopor-Si governed by cubic susceptibility χ⁽³⁾ (ω;ω,-ω,ω) has not been studied yet.

© 2007 IEEE