Enhanced second-harmonic generation in periodic nonlinear optical nanostructures

At present, the range of applications for nonlinear optical devices is limited in practical terms by the relatively small nonlinear optical coefficients available in natural materials. Recent advances in nanofabrication technologies have enabled the construction of a wide range of subwavelength optical nanostructures. Periodic optical nanostructures made of nonlinear optical materials can be used to enhance nonlinear optical phenomena through two mechanisms: transverse localization and phase matching. In this paper we present nanostructure designs for the enhancement of second-harmonic generation, analyze the transverse localization and phase matching effects in these structures, and predict the enhancement of the second harmonic generation process using a rigorous electromagnetic modeling tool.