Phase-matchable nonlinear optical interactions in periodic thin films

A proposal for a new method of phase matching in nonlinear optical interactions is made. A periodic perturbation of the surface of a thin-film waveguide generates space harmonics with new propagation constants which can be phase matched. An analysis of this proposal shows it to be particularly interesting for a class of thin-film nonlinear devices using the cubic optically isotropic semiconductors (such as GaAs, GaP, etc.) which possess high nonlinear optical coefficients but are not phase matchable by the conventional birefringent techniques.