Grating-assisted phase-matched second-harmonic generation from a polymer waveguide.

Diffraction gratings can be used to achieve phase matching between the fundamental modes of a slab or confined waveguide. Compared with the usual techniques such as quasi-, Cerenkov, and intermodal phase matching, the matching method used here involves spatial harmonics of the guided electromagnetic field that are generated by the corrugated grating. This grating acts simultaneously as a linear waveguide coupler at both the pump and harmonic frequencies. Using the third spatial harmonic, we report what we believe to be the first observation of grating-assisted phase-matched second-harmonic generation between counterpropagating TM(0) modes of an organic waveguide.