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Surface second harmonic generation from silicon pillar arrays with strong geometrical dependence
Optics Letters
|May 1, 2015
Summary
Researchers demonstrated enhanced surface second harmonic generation (SHG) from silicon pillar arrays. Optimal pillar geometry significantly boosted SHG signals, showing promise for nonlinear silicon photonics and sensing applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Optics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) is a nonlinear optical process.
- Silicon photonics offers potential for integrated optical devices.
- Surface-enhanced nonlinear phenomena are crucial for advanced applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally demonstrate and analyze enhanced surface SHG from hexagonal silicon pillar arrays.
- To investigate the influence of pillar geometry on SHG intensity.
- To explore the potential applications of enhanced SHG in silicon photonics and sensing.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of silicon pillar arrays with varying periods and diameters using colloidal lithography and plasma dry etching.
- Experimental measurement of surface SHG intensity.
- Theoretical verification using finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations.
Main Results:
- Observed strong dependence of SHG intensity on pillar geometry.
- Achieved over an order of magnitude higher SHG signal from pillar arrays with a 1000 nm period and 585 nm average diameter.
- FDTD simulations confirmed the experimental findings regarding geometry dependence.
Conclusions:
- Silicon pillar arrays can significantly enhance surface SHG.
- Specific geometric parameters are critical for maximizing SHG.
- The enhanced SHG is applicable to nonlinear silicon photonics, surface characterization, and optical biosensing.
