Optical thin film design optimization for nonlinear response

Information technology advancements are revolutionizing optical components, necessitating a solid theoretical foundation for optically active components. Optical thin films are traditionally designed using the transfer matrix method to calculate linear spectral responses. However, recent developments also address nonlinear optical responses by integrating nonlinearities into the matrix formalism or by applying a maxwell solver, which offers spatially and temporally resolved pulse propagation simulations in thin films. The transfer matrix method has been extended to include third harmonic generation and ultrafast switching via the Kerr effect. We compare the results from the nonlinear transfer matrix method to results obtained by a maxwell solver. Furthermore optimization routines for nonlinear response design like Monte Carlo algorithms and machine learning with neural networks are shown.