Linear and nonlinear optical properties of glasses with semiconductor microcrystals

During the last years there is an increasing interest in materials dealing with nonlinear optical effects. Besides semiconductors, crystals and organic materials attention has also been paid to silicate glasses in which a CdSxSei. microcrystalline phase is thermally developed. These glasses are the basis for a comercially available set of yellow-to-red "short wavelength cut" filters. Although these glasses have not been optimized for nonlinear behaviour by now they already show large nonlinear effects.