Abstract

The second-harmonic generation (SHG) is suggested as a nonlinear optical readout of magnetic and ferroelectric thin-film-based memories. This nonlinear optical readout is based on the magnetization-induced SHG (MSHG) and dc-electric-field-induced SHG (EFISH) phenomena. The transversal nonlinear magneto-optical Kerr effect (NOMOKE), which is the MSHG intensity changes, is systematically studied in a variety of magnetic materials: (1) bicontaining iron garnet films, 5 μm thick, with the in-plane easy axis; (2) granular magnetic films comprised by Co nanocrystals embedded in Cu matrix, the average size of the Co nanocrystals being about 60 A; (3) Gd-containing magnetic Langmuir- Blodgett (LB) films, one period of it (about 5 nm thick) consisting of a Gd monolayer surrounded by two monolayers of stearic acid. The EFISH intensity changes are systematically studied in (4) thin PZT ferroelectric ceramic films ~0.5 μm thick grown on the silicon (001) substrate.

© 1998 Optical Society of America