  Zinc Oxide is a thoroughly studied wide-bandgap semiconductor possessing
excellent optical and electronic properties at room temperature. The renewed
interest in this material has been generated by doping with various impurities
in order to further enhance versatile optoelectronic responses for practical
applications. Specifically, Aluminum-doped Zinc Oxide is an emerging
transparent conducting oxide for photovoltaic applications. Here I propose to
conduct a series of experimental studies on broadband optical nonlinearity as
well as photoluminescence from Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide as a function of
Aluminum doping. The results of this study include studies including 1) Bandgap
measurements 2) wavelength-dependent third harmonic generation and 3)
one-photon-induced Photoluminescence. The most notable result is a multifold
enhanced third-order nonlinear optical response from weakly doped Aluminum
doped Zinc Oxide (up to 4%) in comparison with the undoped counterpart. The
observed nonlinear optical trend as a function of Aluminum doping is correlated
to the modification of the corresponding band structure. The Aluminum doping
effect is extensively investigated in the context of absorption and
Photoluminescence.
