Second harmonic generation optimization in thermally poled borophosphate glasses and characterization by XANES and XPS

Second harmonic generation (SHG) in poled glasses opens new opportunities in material research and device development for optics. SHG results that relate to thermally poled new borophosphate glasses have been analyzed. By a cycling poling–depoling process an optimization of the SHG response can be obtained. As the signal is localized near the surfaces in contact with the electrodes during poling, XPS and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) spectroscopies have been performed to characterize cathodic and anodic surfaces of these glasses before poling, and after poling or depoling treatments. Structural differences are observed by XANES at the O K-edge after poling on both surfaces. Moreover, an accumulation of Na⁺ mobile cations is evidenced on the cathodic surface by XPS spectroscopy confirming the migration of Na⁺ mobile cations after the glass has been submitted to high dc field. Finally, the XPS and XANES investigations of poled glasses evidences some breakage of phosphate chains in the glass network which occur during the poling treatment. Conversely, bridging bonds are partly restored after thermal depoling.