Abstract

Small metal particles embedded in glasses have been widely studied as resonant type third- order nonlinear optical materials for photonic devices. We have prepared Au/SiO₂, Au/Al₂O₃, Au/TiO₂ composite thin films by a multitarget sputtering method. The χ⁽³⁾ and τ of the composite thin films were investigated by means of femtosecond Z-scan and pump-probe experiment, respectively. In the optical-absorption spectra of the three types of the films, the clear absorption peak due to the surface plasmon resonance of Au particles is observed. The imaginary part of χ⁽³⁾ and τ for the Au/TiO₂ film were -3.6 × 10⁻⁷ esu and ~2 ps, respectively. The χ⁽³⁾ of Au/SiO₂, Au/Al₂O₃, AU/tiO₂ films increased in that order.

© 1997 Optical Society of America