Third-order nonlinearity in Ag-nanoparticles embedded 56GeS2–24Ga2S3–20KBr chalcohalide glasses

Abstract Ag-nanoparticles were embedded in the 56GeS 2 –24Ga 2 S 3 –20KBr chalcohalide glasses with varied doses by ion implantation. Ag-nanoparticles were observed in the AFM images of all implanted samples. The third-order optical nonlinearity of Ag-implanted chalcohalide glasses was investigated by the femtosecond Z-scan measurements. The results indicated an enhancement of third-order optical nonlinearity due to the formation of Ag-nanoparticles in glasses. The relation between implanting dose and third-order optical nonlinearity was strongly related to the intrinsic local field and interaction of Ag-nanoparticles.