Low-order optical nonlinearities of PbS quantum dot liquids and films

Abstract We demonstrate the variations of the nonlinear optical parameters in the suspensions and thin films containing PbS quantum dots of different sizes (9 and 2.5 nm). We show that these colloidal quantum dots possess the thermal-lens induced negative nonlinear refraction and reverse saturable absorption in the case of the 532-nm, 10-ns probe pulses. The larger nonlinear absorption coefficients of 9-nm quantum dots compared with 2.5-nm species (1 × 10−7 and 8 × 10−9 cm W−1, respectively) in the case of 1064 nm, 10 ns probe pulses were determined. Similar relations between the nonlinear optical parameters of 9- and 2.5-nm species were maintained in the case of twice shorter wavelength (532 nm) of the probe pulses. The almost ten-fold growth of the nonlinear optical parameters in the visible range compared with the near infrared region was attributed to the stronger influence of the excitonic states on the propagation effects in the former case. We show that the thin films containing these quantum dots demonstrate saturable absorption, while the suspensions show mostly the reverse saturable absorption at 532 nm. A significant enhancement of the nonlinear refractive index of films compared with suspensions (−2 × 10−8 cm2 W−1 and -1 × 10−11 cm2 W−1), as well as a large negative nonlinear absorption coefficient (−3.2 × 10−5 cm W−1) in the former case are demonstrated. We discuss the signs of nonlinear refraction and nonlinear absorption of the quantum dots, as well as the role of the sizes of these species in variations of the nonlinear parameters.