Nonlinear photonics in glass systems doped with quantum dots and plasmonic nanoparticles

Abstract

Glass, one of the most important optical materials, is highly transparent, structurally amorphous, and optically isotropic. Unlike many crystals without centrosymmetry, most glass systems exhibit centrosymmetry without second-order optical nonlinearity and weak intrinsic optical nonlinearity, including nonlinear absorption and refraction. However, as glass systems often have a wide composition range, their nonlinear absorption and refraction can be judiciously engineered by doping their active centers and nanocrystals with different optical functionalities. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in the engineering of glass systems for nonlinear photonics, with a focus on oxide glass systems doped with quantum dots (QDs) and plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs). After briefly introducing the relevant nonlinear optics theory, we present a short overview of glass systems doped with QDs and plasmonic NPs oriented for nonlinear optical (NLO) applications. Subsequently, we discuss the investigations conducted on the NLO properties of these glass systems and their application in optical switching for pulse laser generation in detail, mostly in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) regions. Finally, we present a short summary of the development of NLO properties and applications based on the discussed glass systems and a brief perspective for future research directions.