A new thin-film, nonlinear metasurface was produced by Cockrell School of Engineering researchers that could improve the development of nonlinear laser systems.
The new metamaterials’ nonlinear optical response is a million times stronger than traditional nonlinear materials. It has also shown to have frequency conversion in films 100 times as thin as human hair when compared to a laser pointer. The performance of the new material was demonstrated through the use of a 400 nanometer-thick nonlinear material that reflected radiation at two times the input light frequency.