SIGNAL DAMPING OF 2ND-HARMONIC GENERATION IN POLED SODA-LIME SILICATEGLASS

We report second-harmonic generation in poled microscope slides of sod a-lime silicate glass. During poling a sodium precipitate appears on t he glass surface on the cathode side. Evidence of sodium motion throug h the sample helps us to understand the inducing mechanism of the seco nd-order nonlinearity in the poled glass. We found decay of the second -harmonic signal over time. The decay rate increases with the ambient temperature, while the residual signal depends on the poling temperatu re. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.