Matched second-harmonic generation of ultrashort laser pulses in photonic crystals

It is shown that one-dimensional photonic bandgap structures are capable of simultaneously satisfying the phase and group-velocity matching conditions for second-harmonic generation involving extremely short light pulses. When these conditions are satisfied, an optical frequency doubler utilizing photonic bandgap structures provides a means for increasing the rate of growth of the second-harmonic signal as a function of the nonlinear-optical interaction length relative to structures designed for quasi-matched interactions and affords possibilities for enhancing the frequency doubling efficiencies independently of the matching length in the bulk nonlinear material. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-3640(99)00724-0].