Second order optical nonlinearities were induced in commercial phosphate glasses (Schott, IOG-1) by the thermal poling technique. The induced χ (2) was measured via second harmonic generation using a fundamental beam from a 1064 nm modelocked Nd:YAG laser. The nonlinear regions were characterized using the Maker-Fringe technique, in which the second harmonic signals were observed as a function of incident angle of the fundamental beam. The results show that the χ (2) profile has contributions from two distinct regions: a near-anodic surface region and a bulk. We have modeled the induced profile to fit our experimental results. The dependence of the induced nonlinearity on applied poling fields, temperatures and poling time is discussed.

We have investigated the microscopic origins of the induced χ(2) in two phosphate glasses: a self-prepared lanthanum phosphate glass with molar composition 0.2La2O3 0.8P2O5 and a commercial sodium alumino phosphate glass (IOG-1, Schott Glass Technologies, Inc.) with molar composition 0.6P2O5 0.24Na2O 0.13Al2O3 0.03Ce2O3. The drastic difference in alkali content in these two phosphate glass systems results in different origins of their induced χ(2). For the poled lanthanum phosphate glass, the origin of the induced χ(2), which is directly proportional to the dc field established inside the glass, is the result of charge migration. A model that uses a single-positive-charge carrier with a nonblocking cathode describes the anodic surface χ(2) of 30μm thickness. For the poled sodium alumino phosphate glass, two mechanisms—dipole reorientation via the applied field and charge migration—are responsible for the origin of the bulk and the surface χ(2). Dipole reorientation via the applied field is suggested for the bulk contribution, while a charge migration model that involves multiple-charge carriers with nonblocking electrodes is appropriate for the surface χ(2).

Second order optical nonlinearities were induced in commercial phosphate glasses (Schott, IOG-1) by the thermal poling technique. The induced χ (2) was measured via second harmonic generation using a fundamental beam from a 1064 nm mode-locked Nd:YAG laser. The nonlinear regions were characterized using the Maker-Fringe technique, in which the second harmonic signals were observed as a function of incident angle of the fundamental beam. The results show that the χ (2) profile has contributions from two distinct regions: a near-anodic surface region and a bulk. We have modeled the induced profile to fit our experimental results. The dependence of the induced nonlinearity on applied poling fields, temperatures and poling time is discussed.

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