Tunable Enhanced Second‐Harmonic Generation in InP‐InAsP Quantum Well Nanomembranes

Abstract Second‐harmonic generation (SHG) offers a convenient approach for infrared‐to‐visible light conversion in tunable nanoscale light sources and optical communication. Semiconductor nanostructures offer rich possibilities to tailor their nonlinear optical properties. In this study, strong second‐harmonic generation in InP nanomembranes with InAsP quantum well (QW) is demonstrated. Compared with bulk InP, up to 100 times enhancement of SHG is achieved in the short‐wave infrared range. This enhancement is shown to be predominantly induced by the resonance‐enhanced absorption and quantum confinement of fundamental wavelengths in the InAsP QW. The thin nanomembrane structure will also provide nanocavity enhancement for second‐harmonic wavelengths. The enhanced SHG peak wavelengths can also be tuned by changing the QW composition. These findings provide an effective strategy for enhancing and manipulating the second‐harmonic generation in semiconductor quantum‐confined nanostructures for on‐chip all‐optical applications.