Linear and nonlinear optical properties of dewetted SiGe islands

We propose to exploit the natural mechanical instability of thin solid films to form regular patterns of mono- crystalline atomically smooth silicon and germanium nanostructures that cannot be realized with conventional methods. The solid-state dewetting dynamics is guided by pre-patterning the sample by a combination of electron-beam lithography and reactive-ion etching, obtaining precise control over number, size, shape, and relative position of the final Si1-xGex structures. Here we describe our progress in the spectroscopic investigation of individual dewetted Si1-xGex nanoislands: in the linear regime, bright Mie-type localized resonances are detected in the visible spectral range, with a spectral position that can be tuned by modifying the size of the nanoparticles. In the non-linear regime, instead, sizable third-harmonic generation is observed at the level of single islands. We believe that these results will be pivotal to a novel approach in spectral filtering, sensing and structural color with all-dielectric photonic devices.