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Materials for nonlinear optical waveguides

R.H. Stolen and G.I. Stegeman

Low power nonlinear optics opens up a wide range of applications for the generation of new frequencies and the control of light by light. By using light-guides, the typical optical powers required for nonlinear optical devices are in the 100 mW -- 100 W range. The problem is that even this four orders of magnitude improvement over bulk nonlinear optics is not enough for most upcoming applications that will be based on semiconductor lasers. To reduce nonlinear optical powers to the 1 -- 100 mW range requires new materials.