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Dispersion relations of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in sandwiched optical systems are studied. The system is actually a kind of SPP waveguides, with two kinds of single negative material (SNG) as core and cladding layers, respectively. Since both TM and TE polarized SPPs can be excited in the structure, the dispersion of SPPs becomes more abundant and leads to colorful nonlinear optical properties. The authors demonstrate the effective phase-matched second and third-harmonic generation (SHG, THG) assisted by the coupled SPPs. A cascaded second-order nonlinear process can also be achieved in the structure when the thickness of the core layer is properly selected, leading to the simultaneous SHG and THG. Further investigations show that much easier phase-matching can be fulfilled in the SNG waveguide array. Our results would be of potential use for surface-enhanced frequency conversion device such as light emitters or lasers.

A new ternary photopolymer system is used in fabricating photonic crystals (PhCs) with controlled defects by combination of single-photon and two-photon photopolymerization. The former process can produce PhCs in one-step recording with a low-power (tens mW) continuous-wave laser at 532 nm, while the latter can create desired defects. The preparation of the material, the optical setup and the preliminary experimental results are given. Compared with other methods, this approach is much more accessible and convenient for use of visible light and has advantages of making PhCs in a large scale quickly and economically and introducing any defects exactly, especially for three-dimensional structures.

Giant resonance enhancement is demonstrated to be due to the Fano interference in a grating waveguide composed of gain-assisted silicon slabs. The Fano mode is characterized by its ultra-narrow asymmetric spectrum, different from that of a pure electric or magnetic dipole. The simulation indicates that a sharp Fano-interfered lineshape is responsible for the giant resonance enhancement featuring the small-gain requirements.