Nonlinear optical properties of Si nanocrystals

A systematic study of nonlinear optical properties of silicon nanocrystals (Si-nc) grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is reported. Nonlinear optical refraction and absorption have been measured by z-scan technique at three different time regimes and at different wavelengths to investigate both the thermal and electronic responses. For this purpose three different laser sources have been used. Different behaviors, as expected from the theory, for different pump pulse durations are observed.