Quantitative theory of enhancement and optimisation of optical nonlinearities in semiconductor quantum wells and superlattices

The nonlinear optical response of semiconductor microstructures in the mid-to-far infrared range of wavelengths is of interest to designers of the next generation of optoelectronic devices because it offers the promise of high speed, integrability, and low energy dissipation. The oscillator strength of optical transitions between adjacent confined states in quantum wells is large and the energy separations span the relevant range of energies. Of particular interest is the relationship between structural properties (well widths, chemical composition, symmetry etc.) and the frequency dependence of the optical response functions which could serve as a basis for optimisation of device structures. The purpose of this study is to outline fresh guidelines for near-resonant enhancement of higher order susceptibilities and second/third harmonic generation.