Abstract

A new class of nonlinear surface and bulk polariton modes have recently been identified in geometries in which one or more of the layered structures shows a nonlinear response to the applied electromagnetic field. Recent advances in the growth of epitaxial layers and in thin film technology have led to an active experimental search for such nonlinear waves over the pasf year.¹ These structures show potential device applications as optical limiters, for example. An important question from both a technological and fundamental point of view, which we will address, is whether these various nonlinear waveguide modes are stable to propagation.

© 1985 Optical Society of America