Optical nonlinearity of semiconductor microcrystallites formed in a thin-film insulator

An investigation is reported of the dependence of nonlinear properties of semiconductor microcrystallites (of technically controlled size) on their configuration in a thin-film insulator. An analysis is made of possible reasons for the discrepancy between the optical nonlinearity parameters predicted for quasi-zero-dimensional (QZD) media and those measured for their thin-film analogues. The suitability of media formed by vacuum deposition methods for the investigation of the physics of QZD structures is demonstrated. The feasibility of constructing picosecond optical switches, based on nonlinear thin-film interferometers with a QZD intermediate layer, is considered.