Nonlinear Optics of Photonic Crystals

The “marriage” between photonic crystal structures and nonlinear optics is studied in the present paper. We demonstrate the considerable interest in the enhancement of nonlinear effects using photonic crystals (PCs). The Nano structuring of materials allows realizing the phase matching in photonic crystals. Phase tuning is achieved using the anomalous dispersion existing at the edges of photonic forbidden bands. This type of structure also makes it possible to obtain high densities of modes of the optical field at the frequency of the excitation wave, where it is desired to obtain significant nonlinear effects. An introduction and discussion of some of the basic principles of nonlinear and photonic crystals are given. The focus is on engineered of these PCs by using some total nonlinear materials or a mix with silica. With this “marriage”, it is then possible to realize, on a microscopic scale, different passive optical functions (filters, switches, tunable) or active functions (amplification, light emission, modulation, etc.).