Fastscan z-scan system for determining optical non-linearities in semiconductors

Traditional z-scan techniques have been used to determine the non-linear optical coefficients of semiconductors. This is usually carried out by scanning a sample along the optical z-axis using a manual or computer-controlled linear translation stage. We report upon a novel z-scan method involving a fastscanning sampleholder: This gives real-time z-scan traces and greatly improves experimental efficiency and applicability. The technique is used here to study the two-photon absorption coefficient of ZnSe.