Abstract

Interference in reflection from thin multilayered dielectric films is an important and well understood phenomenon in linear optics. However the analogous problem in nonlinear optics is not well studied. We have investigated optical interference in the second harmonic generation as a result of reflection from two adjoined nonlinear optical slabs. Beside its intrinsic interest as a new phenomenon, the interference provides a methodology for measuring the second-order susceptibility of overlayer materials that can only be grown in very thin layers above other high quality solids. We demonstrate this by measuring the frequency-dependent ${\text{χ}}_{\text{xyz}}^{(2)}$ in ZnSe for the first time.

© 1992 IQEC