Silicon Waveguides for Terahertz Nonlinear Optics

Published/Posted: April 18, 2015

Authors: Li, S.; Murphy, T. E.

Abstract: Silicon is one of the most favorable materials in the terahertz and far-IR regime, where it has exceptionally low loss compared to other dielectrics. Nonlinear effects at terahertz frequencies are rarely observed, both because of the difficulty in generating and sustaining sufficiently strong terahertz fields, and because the terahertz photon energy is far below the bandgap. By concentrating a terahertz pulse into a 2-cm long silicon waveguide, we show that the absorption saturates at higher terahertz intensities. We present a new theoretical and numerical model that explains this nonlinear phenomenon.

Citation:
S. Li and T. E. Murphy, "Silicon Waveguides for Terahertz Nonlinear Optics ", Photonics North, Ottawa (Canada) (2015)