This is an official 3-ECTS PhD course, hosted at EPFL in collaboration with the Doctoral School of Photonics and offered as part of our Photonics Teaching Program. Participation is possible in person or online.
The course is free of charge, worth 3 ECTS, and can be attended in person at EPFL or online. Registration is limited to 30 participants.
The registration deadline is September 18, 2026.
To register, please send an email to Nick Volet including:
Registration will be confirmed by email.
This course first introduces some fundamentals of light-matter interaction and the most important nonlinear optical effects. Then an overview of relevant photonic devices is presented, including lasers, waveguides and photodetectors. It is discussed how these photonic devices can be considered as building blocks that can be combined into a circuit and which material systems can be used for that.
Emphasis is put on the required trade-offs and the main differences between material systems. A Python-based simulation software is used to illustrate the concept of optical mode, and as a design tool to optimize device parameters to obtain efficient nonlinear processes (such as frequency conversion).
The objective of the course is to acquaint the students with the principles of nonlinear optics, their use in photonic integrated circuits and the applications of this technology for telecommunication, spectroscopy and metrology.
It introduces the main nonlinear optical effects, related applications, and the material platforms available for photonic integration. It explores the physics of conversion between modes in waveguides. Finally, it applies numerical simulation software to solve design problems.
At the end of the course, the student should be able to:
ECTS credits: 3
The course corresponds to approximately 90 hours of work, including 30 contact hours and approximately 60 hours of preparation, independent study, simulation work, and completion of the final design study.
Prerequisites: Participants should have a basic understanding of electromagnetism, optics, and photonics at MSc level. Prior knowledge of integrated photonics or nonlinear optics is helpful but not required. Basic familiarity with numerical modeling or scientific programming is recommended.
Course requirements: Active participation in lectures and simulation exercises, completion of the prescribed simulation and design activities, and submission of an individual five-page design study.
Assessment: An individual five-page design study, assessed on a pass/fail basis. Participants apply the theoretical and numerical methods introduced during the course to an integrated nonlinear photonic device of their choice.
Format: Hybrid. Participants may attend in person or join online.
Instructors: Christophe Galland + Nick Volet
During week 41: October 5 (Monday) – October 9 (Friday), 2026.
📍 EPFL, Lausanne
Building TBC, Room TBC
Monday (Oct. 5) – Friday (Oct. 9).
Detailed program: TBC
Online participation: Registered participants can join the lectures via Teams. The meeting link will be provided before the course.
Participants have access to the course booklets, lecture slides, exercises, solutions, and simulation examples before, during, and after the course. The material is intended both for preparation and as a reference after the course.
The core course is organized in three parts, progressing from the electromagnetic foundations to second- and third-order nonlinear interactions and their application to realistic integrated photonic devices. The accompanying booklets, slides, exercises, solutions, and simulation examples are available to participants before, during, and after the course.
Electromagnetic foundations
Wave equation for nonlinear optics
Optical modes and power normalization
Eigenvalue equation and dispersion relation
Dynamic equation for guided waves
General propagation ("chief") equation
Second-order nonlinear polarization
Crystal symmetry and nonlinear susceptibility tensors
Nonlinear coupling between optical modes
Broadband coupled-amplitude equations
Second-harmonic generation (SHG)
Difference-frequency generation (DFG)
Phase matching
Pump depletion
GaAs waveguide design
Evaluation of the nonlinear coupling coefficient
Mode simulations
Power and phase evolution
Phase matching
Coupled power evolution
Phase evolution
AlGaAs waveguide design
Mode simulations
Mid-infrared frequency conversion
Third-order nonlinear polarization
Symmetry of the third-order susceptibility tensor
Nonlinear coupling between optical modes
Coupled-amplitude equations for third-order interactions
Third-harmonic generation (THG)
Degenerate four-wave mixing (FWM)
Phase matching
Pump depletion and nonlinear energy transfer
Power and phase evolution
Effects of propagation loss
Characteristic nonlinear interaction length
Analytical solutions and power scaling
Group velocity and group-velocity dispersion
Derivation of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation
Interplay between dispersion and Kerr nonlinearity
Optical solitons
Optical Kerr effect
Power-dependent phase and effective refractive index
Ring resonators and all-optical switches
The following optional material extends the guided-mode framework developed in the core course to nonlinear interactions involving radiation modes and Čerenkov phase matching. It is provided for participants interested in exploring current research-level developments and is not required for completion of the course.
Radiation directions and the Čerenkov cone
Continuum representation of radiation fields
Dirac-distribution normalization
Longitudinal power flux
Reduced radiation-mode model for rib waveguides
Field profiles in absorbing multilayer structures
Electromagnetic boundary conditions and normalization
Guided-to-radiation-mode nonlinear coupling
Coupled-amplitude equations for the radiation continuum
Longitudinal and transverse phase mismatch
Čerenkov phase-matching condition and emission angle
Nonlinear coupling coefficient
BBO waveguide geometry and crystal orientation
Guided-mode simulations for deep-UV generation
We use EMode Photonix to simulate and analyze waveguide modes.
👉 Click here for instructions and resources to get started with EMode Photonix.
Key dates:
– November 8 (Sunday, week 45): deadline to submit your abstract (100 words)
– December 6 (Sunday, week 49): deadline to submit your report (5 pages)
To complete the course and receive the 3 ECTS and a course certificate, please submit your abstract and report to Nick Volet by email before the deadlines above.
Slides and other files are available at this SharePoint site.
LaTeX files (for booklets and exercises) are available at this Overleaf project.
