Spectral dependence of third-order nonlinear optical properties in InN

We report on the nonlinear optical properties of InN measured in a wide near-infrared spectral range with the femtosecond Z-scan technique. The above-bandgap nonlinear absorption in InN is found to originate from the saturation of absorption by the band-state-filling and its cross-section increases drastically near the bandgap energy. With below-bandgap excitation, the nonlinear absorption undergoes a transition from saturation absorption (SA) to reverse-SA (RSA), attributed to the competition between SA of band-tail states and two-photon-related RSA. The measured large nonlinear refractive index of the order of 10−10 cm2/W indicates InN as a potential material for all-optical switching and related applications.