Linear and nonlinear optical properties of BiFeO3

Authors: Amit Kumar, Ram Rai, Nikolas J. Podraza, S. Denev, M. O. Ramı́rez, Ying‐Hao Chu, Lane W. Martin, Jon F. Ihlefeld, T. Heeg, J. Schubert, Darrell G. Schlom, J. Orenstein, R. Ramesh, R. W. Collins, J. L. Musfeldt, Venkatraman Gopalan - Applied Physics Letters 2008 cited by 253

Using spectroscopic ellipsometry, the room temperature refractive index and absorption versus wavelength of the ferroelectric antiferromagnet bismuth ferrite, BiFeO3, are reported. The material has a direct band gap at 442nm wavelength (2.81eV). Using optical second harmonic generation, the nonlinear optical coefficients were determined to be d15∕d22=0.20±0.01, d31∕d22=0.35±0.02, d33∕d22=−11.4±0.20, and ∣d22∣=298.4±6.1pm∕V at a fundamental wavelength of 800nm.