Strong Sum Frequency Generation in a GaAs/AlAs Coupled Multilayer Cavity Grown on a (113)B-Oriented GaAs Substrate

Abstract

A strong sum frequency generation (SFG) has been demonstrated using two cavity modes realized in a GaAs/AlAs coupled multilayer cavity structure in which two GaAs half-wavelength cavity layers are coupled by an intermediate distributed Bragg reflector multilayer. The coupled multilayer cavity structure was grown on a (113)B GaAs substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. Two cavity modes with an optical frequency difference of 3.3 THz were clearly observed at 1514 and 1540 nm in the optical reflection spectrum. The room-temperature SFG and second-harmonic generation (SHG) signals were measured by the simultaneous excitation of two cavity modes using 100 fs laser pulses. The peak intensity of the SFG signal was more than 400 times larger than that of the SHG signal from a (113)B GaAs substrate alone, indicating that the effective second-order nonlinearity of GaAs was strongly enhanced by the cavity effect.