Broadband-Tunable Third-Harmonic Generation Using Phase-Change Chalcogenides

Despite remarkable progress in passive nonlinear nanophotonics, dynamically controlled ultracompact nonlinear optical sources with high efficiency remain elusive. Nonvolatility, large refractive index contrast between amorphous and crystalline phases, low thermal threshold for crystallization, and particularly high-third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility of phase-change alloy Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) make it a promising candidate for active subwavelength metaphotonic structures for realization of third-harmonic generation (THG) devices. Herein, a GST-based asymmetric Fabry-Perot cavity is numerically designed and experimentally demonstrated to show a dynamically reconfigurable structure with a large shift of the THG resonant band. In addition, continuous resonant spectral shifting bridged by a precisely controlled semicrystalline phase of GST is realized. Tunable THG with the fundamental wavelength ranging from 1150 to 1400 nm is presented, which corresponds to a broadband THG source in the violet-blue visible wavelength range. Herein, the potential of GST subwavelength structures as a reliable platform for realization of the broadband-tunable frequencyconversion sources for applications such as THG microscopy and optical communication is indicated.

Automated summary

In this study, a dynamically reconfigurable asymmetric Fabry-Perot cavity based on phase-change alloy Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) is numerically designed and experimentally demonstrated, showing a large shift of the third-harmonic generation (THG) resonant band. Continuous resonant spectral shifting is achieved through the precise control of the semicrystalline phase of GST. The tunable THG source provides efficient broadband harmonic generation in the violet-blue visible wavelength range.