Thermally managed Z-scan measurements of titanium dioxide thin films

We will present measurements of the complex nonlinear response of sputtered amorphous and polycrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films using the thermally managed z-scan technique. Using a Ti:Sapphire laser with 100-fs pulses at 800 nm, we observe ultrafast electronic effects near TiO2's half band-gap. We explore the relation between material processing parameters and observed nonlinearity. In addition, we will discuss the consequences for applications such as all-optical switching.