Z-scan Data Research Articles

Solvent-conjugation-induced ultrafast dynamics of enhanced reverse saturable absorption in lead phthalocyanine derivatives solutions

With the continued development of high-power laser technology, research on laser protection has become extremely important. In this study, an analysis of Z-scan and femtosecond transient absorption spectra data for lead (II) tetrakis (4-cumylphenoxy) phthalocyanine (4-PbPc) solutions prepared using different concentrations and solvents established that charge transfer plays an important role in the optical limiting dynamics of this molecule. Based on the correlation of decay-associated difference spectra (DADS) for different decay channels, it was confirmed that greater charge transfer efficiency was associated with more highly conjugated solvent molecules. In a dilute solution, the polarity of the solvent molecules will influence the optical limiting performance of the solution to an extent, whereas in a highly concentrated solution, the degree of conjugation of the solvent molecules is the main influence. Therefore, the more highly conjugated the solvent and the higher the solution concentration, the higher the excited state absorption cross-section and effective two-photon absorption coefficient, and the longer the triplet lifetime. These results should provide theoretical guidance and experimental clues for the design of materials with better optical limiting performance and promote the further development of laser protection.

Analysis of size-dependent variation in nonlinear absorption coefficient of multiferroic bismuth ferrite nanoparticles synthesized at different sintering temperature

Third-order nonlinear optical property of multiferroic bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) nanoparticles sintered at different temperatures has been studied by employing Z-Scan technique. BiFeO3 (BFO) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by the sol–gel process with different sintering temperature of 823[Formula: see text]K, 923[Formula: see text]K and 1023[Formula: see text]K. XRD reveals that all samples have single-phase rhombohedral structure with R3c space group with no secondary phases present. The calculated crystallite size for samples sintered at 823[Formula: see text]K, 923[Formula: see text]K and 1023[Formula: see text]K is found to be 75[Formula: see text]nm, 87[Formula: see text]nm and 94[Formula: see text]nm, respectively. Crystal structure parameters and phase analysis of the BFO samples are obtained by the Rietveld refinement (FullProf) method. FTIR spectra show the absorbance peaks at 448[Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text] and 533[Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text] which confirm the synthesis of NPs. SEM images show the agglomerated spherical particles. Average crystallite and particle size of the samples are found to increase by increasing the sintering temperature. EDX verifies the constituent elements and reveals that stoichiometry in sample preparation is well-matched with the atomic ratio of the experimental quantity. The nonlinear absorption coefficient is characterized by the Z-Scan method employing continuous wave (CW) laser operating at 532[Formula: see text]nm wavelength. Nonlinear absorption coefficient ([Formula: see text]), evaluated by open aperture Z-scan data, is found to decrease with an increase in the particle size of the BFO NPs. BFO nanoparticles synthesized by optimizing the synthesis temperature can be used for the various applications of futuristic multiferroic and optical devices.

Defect assisted nonlinear absorption and optical limiting in amorphous TlGaS2(1-x)Se2(x) (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1) thin films

In an attempt to investigate the effect of band gap energy and defect states on nonlinear absorption, 80 nm thick amorphous TlGaS2(1-x)Se2(x) thin films with different compositions (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1) were deposited by vacuum evaporation method. Band gap energies and Urbach energies were obtained from linear absorption spectra. The change in composition led to 0.24 eV increase in band gap energy and 0.32 eV increase in Urbach energy. A theoretical model incorporating one photon absorption, two photon absorption, free carrier absorption and saturation of each absorption process was applied to derive the transmittance in open aperture Z-scan data. The values of nonlinear absorption coefficient and saturation intensity threshold were obtained from the model and two different nonlinear absorption coefficient variation behaviors were observed with increasing Se composition (x) in amorphous thin films based on the opposite contributions of decreasing band gap energies and decreasing Urbach energies on nonlinear absorption.

Plasmon-enhanced ultrafast and tunable thermo-optic nonlinear optical properties of femtosecond laser ablated TiO2 and Silver-doped TiO2 nanoparticles

We report the results obtained from our extensive femtosecond (fs) nonlinear optical (NLO) studies of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and silver (Ag) doped titanium dioxide (Ag-TiO2) nanoparticles. TiO2 as well as Ag-TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized in deionized water using the techniques of fs laser ablation and simultaneous laser induced chemical reduction through irradiation, respectively. The broadband third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) behaviour of the synthesized NPs was investigated by employing the standard open and closed aperture Z-scan experiments with fs laser pulses delivered from an oscillator (~80 MHz repetition rate at wavelengths of 700 nm, 750 nm, 800 nm, 850 nm) and amplifier pulses (1 kHz repetition rate at wavelengths of 800 nm, 1000 nm, 1100 nm, 1200 nm). The corresponding NLO coefficients [two-photon absorption (2PA) coefficients of ~10-8 cm/W and three-photon absorption (3PA) coefficients of ~10-15 cm3/W2 with MHz excitation] were retrieved from the theoretical fits to the experimental Z-scan data. It was evident from the experimental observations that the Ag-TiO2 NPs demonstrated a significant tendency towards 3PA and also crucially higher nonlinear susceptibility [χ(3)] in comparison with the pure TiO2 NPs. In this extensive investigation, not only a remarkable correlation has been established regarding the incorporation of Ag into TiO2 matrix with thermal-optic influence (MHz interaction) but also the fundamental plasmon-enhanced nonlinear absorption (NLA) in the case of 1 kHz pulse excitation has been decisively recognized. The synthesized nanocomposites were scrupulously probed in the near-IR regime, unveiling the presence of a prominent 3PA (with retrieved coefficients of ~10-23 cm3/W2 using kHz excitation), an essentially rare observation in these kinds of NPs.

Ultrafast Nonlinear Optical and Structure-Property Relationship Studies of Pyridine-Based Anthracene Chalcones Using Z-Scan, Degenerate Four-Wave Mixing, and Computational Approaches.

The structural, thermal, linear, and femtosecond third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of two pyridine-based anthracene chalcones, (2E)-1-(anthracen-9-yl)-3-(pyridin-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (2PANC) and (2E)-1-(anthracen-9-yl)-3-(pyridin-3-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (3PANC), were investigated. These two chalcones were synthesized following the Claisen-Schmidt condensation method. Optically transparent single crystals were achieved using a slow evaporation solution growth technique. The presence of functional groups in these molecules was established by Fourier transform infrared and NMR spectroscopic data. The detailed solid-state structure of both chalcones was determined from the single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. Both crystals crystallized in the centrosymmetric triclinic space group P1̅ with the nuance of unit cell parameters. The crystals (labeled as 2PANC and 3PANC) have been found to be transparent optically [in the entire visible spectral region] and were found to be thermally stable up to 169 and 194 °C, respectively. The intermolecular interactions were investigated using the Hirshfeld surface analysis, and the band structures (highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, excited-state energies, global chemical reactivity descriptors, and molecular electrostatic potentials) were studied using density functional theory (DFT) techniques. The ultrafast third-order NLO properties were investigated using (a) Z-scan and (b) degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) techniques using ∼50 fs pulses at 800 nm (1 kHz, ∼4 mJ) from a Ti:sapphire laser amplifier. Two-photon-assisted reverse saturable absorption, self-focusing nonlinear refraction, optical limiting, and optical switching behaviors were witnessed from the Z-scan data. 3PANC demonstrated a stronger two-photon absorption coefficient, while 2PANC depicted a stronger nonlinear refractive index among the two. The time-resolved DFWM data demonstrated that the decay times of 2PANC and 3PANC were ∼162 and ∼180 fs, respectively. The second hyperpolarizability (γ) values determined by DFT, Z-scan, and DFWM were found to be in good correlation (with a magnitude of ∼10-34 esu). The ultrafast third-order NLO response, significant NLO properties, and thermal stability of these chalcones brands them as potential candidates for optical power limiting and switching applications.

Linear and Non-Linear Optical Properties for Organic Semiconductor (CuPc) Thin Films

Thin films of CuPc of various thicknesses (150,300 and 450) nm have been deposited using pulsed laser deposition technique at room temperature. The study showed that the spectra of the optical absorption of the thin films of the CuPc are two bands of absorption one in the visible region at about 635 nm, referred to as Q-band, and the second in ultra-violet region where B-band is located at 330 nm. CuPc thin films were found to have direct band gap with values around (1.81 and 3.14 (eV respectively. The vibrational studies were carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Finally, From open and closed aperture Z-scan data non-linear absorption coefficient and non-linear refractive index have been calculated respectively using He-Ne laser which have beam waist of (24.2 μm), wave-length of (632.8 nm) and Rayleigh thickness was 2.9 mm.

Potential Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Response Facilitated by Intramolecular Charge Transfer in a Simple Schiff Base Molecule: Experimental and Theoretical Exploration.

A Schiff base, namely, 4-[(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene) amino] benzoic acid (L1), has been synthesized by the condensation reaction. It has been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , UV–vis spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and DFT/B3LYP calculations. Single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that L1 exists in the zwitterionic (N–H···...O) form. The supramolecular interactions were investigated by Hirshfeld surface analysis. In addition, third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of L1 were also investigated. The nonlinear refractive index (n2), nonlinear absorption coefficient (β), and the third-order NLO susceptibility (χ(3)) have been estimated at different concentrations and at different laser powers using close and openaperture Z-scan data. The values of the parameters were found to be varying almost linearly with concentration and power. The present study revealed the utility of the material for various optoelectronic devices such as optical switches, optical data storage devices, and optical sensors. The optical limiting study reveals that this material can also be exploited as an instrument protector from unwanted laser illumination. Furthermore, the NLO behavior of L1 has also been studied by B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) results.

Optical limiting behavior of the natural dye extract from Indigofera Tinctoria leaves

In this work, we extract the natural dye ingredient found in Indigofera Tinctoria leaves, and investigate its nonlinear optical absorption by employing the Z-scan technique. The dye is extracted from Indigo powder which is commercially available for hair coloring applications. The powder, which is made by grinding Indigofera Tinctoria leaves into fine particles, is mixed with water, sonicated, centrifuged and filtered to give an optically clear extract. Linear absorption of the extract is measured in the visible spectral region using a spectrophotometer. Nonlinear absorption in the green spectral region is measured using 5 ns (5 × 10−9 s), 532 nm laser pulses obtained from a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser. The Indigofera Tinctoria dye is found to show excellent nonlinear absorption, which arises from strong reverse saturable absorption occurring in the sample at this wavelength. The third order nonlinear absorption coefficient, which is obtained by numerically fitting the Z-scan data to the nonlinear transmission equation, has a high value in the order of 10−10 m/W. This high nonlinear absorption, which is in the same range as that of materials such as graphene oxide, leads to an excellent optical limiting behavior, making Indigofera Tinctoria a potential candidate for fabricating optical limiter devices for eye and sensor protection.

Effect of Cr/Sb doping and annealing on nonlinear absorption coefficients of SnO2 /PMMA nanocomposite films

Cr and Sb doped SnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The structural measurements of as-grown nanoparticles exhibited that the incorporation of the 3% wt. Cr and Sb dopant into the SnO2 crystal structure led to increasing crystallite size but further doping (7% wt. and 10% wt.) caused to decreasing crystallite size. On the other hand, the annealing processes caused to increasing of the crystallite size. SnO2/PMMA, SnO2:Cr/PMMA and SnO2:Sb/PMMA nanocomposite films were deposited on fused silica substrate by using spin coating method. The as-deposited nanocomposite films have wide band gap energy and the band gap energies decreased after annealing process due to the increase of the particle sizes. Annealed nanocomposite films have strong transmittance in the ultraviolet and visible region. In order to investigate the effect of doping and annealing on nonlinear absorption properties of the films, open aperture Z-scan experiments were performed. To derive the transmission in open aperture Z-scan data, a theoretical model incorporating one photon, two photon, and free carrier absorptions and their saturations were considered. Nonlinear absorption coefficients and saturation intensity thresholds were extracted from the fitting of the experimental results. Nonlinear absorption coefficients and saturation intensity thresholds increased with increasing of the doping concentration because of the increasing of the defect states in the band gaps and decreased due to the decreasing of the defect state density with annealing. Strong optical limiting behavior observed for %10 Cr and %10 Sb doped SnO2 nanocomposite films.

Significant effect of film thickness on morphology and third-order optical nonlinearities of Cd1−xZnxO semiconductor nanostructures for optoelectronics

The work presented here reported the thickness dependent structural, linear and nonlinear optical properties of nanostructured Cd1−xZnxO thin films. Thin films were prepared with two different thickness (≈ 0.5 µm and 1 µm) by employing a spray pyrolysis (SP) technique for different Zn-doping levels (Cd1−xZnxO with the x value of 0.00, 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1). X-ray diffraction studies confirm the polycrystalline nature having a cubic crystal structure. In terms of an aspect ratio of the columnar structure and dispersion in hexagonal (1 1 1) basal plane orientation, a thickness dependency of structural evolution was discussed. The Scherrer rule was employed to determine the crystallite size and found to be decreased. FESEM images indicate grains which are uniform and grain size slightly increased with an increase in dopant concentration, annealing and thickness of the films, respectively. The optical energy band gap (Eg) of the prepared films was found to be increased from 2.50 to 2.67 eV. The NLO parameters of the samples were measured from the Z-scan data under DPSS continuous wave laser excitation at 532 nm and the results reveal that reverse saturable absorption (RSA) and self-defocusing natures are the attributed and observed nonlinearity of the nanostructures. The third-order NLO components such as β, $$n_{2}$$ and χ(3) are found to be enhanced with one order of magnitude higher with the influence of thickness from 1.25 × 10–4 to 2.47 × 10–3 (cm W−1), 7.08 × 10–9 to 3.35 × 10–8 (cm2 W−1) and 4.06 × 10–7 to 1.96 × 10–6 (esu) respectively. The inspiring results of NLO parameters are also due to the increasing localized defect states on grain boundaries as the film thickness increases, suggesting the prepared films are a promising material for nonlinear photonic device applications.

Direct nonlinear optical absorption measurements of asymmetrical zinc(II) phthalocyanine when covalently linked to semiconductor quantum dots

We report on nonlinear optical properties of tris[(4-tert-butyl)-2-thio (phenyl)acetic acid (1) and tris(dimethyl-5-(3,4-phenoxy) isophthalate (2) phthalocyaninato zinc (II) complexes. The synthesized complexes were covalently conjugated to glutathione-capped CdTe/ZnSe/ZnO quantum dots. We observed an increase in triplet quantum yield with corresponding decrease in fluorescence quantum yield of conjugates compared to Pc complexes alone. Z-scan technique was employed to experimentally test the nonlinear optical response of complexes and nanoconjugates in solution at laser excitation wavelength of 532 nm with 7 ns pulse. Nonlinear absorption coefficient, third-order optical susceptibility and optical limiting threshold of the materials were obtained from the Z-scan data. The nonlinear absorption parameters improved in the presence of CdTe/ZnSe/ZnO, with 1 and 1-CdTe/ZnSe/ZnO, giving the best results due to the presence of electron donating substituents.

Optical limiting behaviour of linear fused ring dichloro-substituent chalcone isomers

The third-order nonlinear optical response of halogen anthracenyl chalcone isomers in dimethyl sulphonate (DMSO) as the solvent has been studied. Single beam Z-scan technique at 532nm of laser excitation wavelength is used to determine magnitude and sign of the nonlinear refractive index (n2) and nonlinear absorption coefficient (β). The samples exhibited a self-focusing effect with a negative from the closed aperture z-scan analysis. The n2 is observed to be 10−8 cm2/W. Open z-scan data showed reverse saturable absorptions with significant β for both samples. The magnitude of β is of the order of 10−4 cm/W. Optical limiting studies show a decrement in transmittance as a function of input fluence. Optical limiting action begins at as low as 20 kW/cm2 of focal input intensity which is ideal for low powered continuous wave laser limiting applications. From the third-order nonlinear properties results, the compound is recommended for optoelectronic and photonics application.

Structural, linear and nonlinear optical properties of Cd1−xAlxS semiconductor nanostructures: Influence of film thickness

The work presented here reports the thickness dependent structural, linear and nonlinear optical properties of nanostructured Al-doped CdS thin films. Thin films were prepared with two different thicknesses(≈0.5 µm and 1 µm) by employing a spray pyrolysis (SP) technique for different Al-doping levels (0, 1, 3, 5 and 10 wt%). Powder X-ray diffraction studies confirm the polycrystalline crystal structure. The Scherrer rule was used to determine the crystallite size which was found to decrease with increasing doping concentration. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images showed uniform grain size which was found to slightly decrease with an increase in thickness of the films. The optical energy band gap (Eg) of the films was found to decrease with an increase of film thickness. The nonlinear optical parameters (NLO) of the samples were measured from the Z-scan data under DPSS continuous wave laser excitation at 532 nm which shows strong two-photon absorption. The increase in film thickness with Al-doping concentration from 0 to 10 wt%, the NLO parameters such as β, n2and χ(3) were enhanced from 4.66 × 10−4 to 3.67 × 10−3 (cm W−1), 5.26 × 10−9 to 3.38 × 10−8 (cm2 W−1) and 4.03 × 10−7 to 1.98 × 10−6 (esu), respectively. These important results of NLO parameters are due to the increase of localized defect states on grain boundaries with the increase of film thickness and suggest that these films are promising material for photonic device applications.

The effect of Ga/In ratio and annealing temperature on the nonlinear absorption behaviors in amorphous TlGaxIn(1-x)S2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) chalcogenide thin films

The amorphous semiconductor TlGaxIn(1-x)S2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) chalcogenide thin films were prepared with 70 nm thicknesses by using vacuum evaporation technique. The nonlinear absorption properties of the films were studied by Z-scan technique. The energy band gap values were calculated by using linear absorption spectra. The effect of Ga/In ratio leads to increase 0.22 eV in band gap energy. To derive the transmission in open aperture Z-scan data, a theoretical model incorporating two photon and free carrier absorptions and their saturations were considered and effective nonlinear absorption coefficients and saturation intensity thresholds extracted from the fitting of the experimental results. Highest effective nonlinear absorption coefficient was found for TlInS2 sample due to having the smallest energy bandgap. In an attempt to investigate the effect of localized defect states on the nonlinear absorption, TlGaS2 thin films were annealed up to 473 K. It was found that increasing annealing temperature leads to reduction of the localized defect states. Nonlinear absorption coefficient and saturation intensity threshold decrease with reduction of the localized defect states.

Effect of Al doping on photoluminescence and laser stimulated nonlinear optical features of CdO nanostructures for optoelectronic device applications

The work presented in this article reports on the role of Al-doping in CdO thin films. Cd1-xAlxO thin films are prepared by employing the spray pyrolysis (SP) technique [with x = 0, 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 at. %] to study the morphological, linear optical and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The study of X-ray diffraction revealed the crystalline nature of the prepared thin films, and the Al-doping improves the crystallite size. The morphology of the films is mainly influenced by the doping shown by the results of FESEM images. With an increase in the concentration of al-doping, the direct optical energy band-gap (Eg) value increased from 2.47 eV to 3.72 eV for pure to 10 at.% of Al concentrations. Room temperature photoluminescence spectra (RTPL) of the prepared samples are investigated for an in-depth understanding of the conduction band behavior of defect states. The sign and magnitude of the third-order NLO properties were determined under the Z-scan technique using a DPSS continuous wave laser as an excitation source at a wavelength of 532 nm and 200mW output power. The Z-scan data shows that the prepared material showed strong two-photon absorption (2PA) with an increase in doping concentrations from 0 to 10 (at %), thereby increasing the nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) from 0.76 × 10−3 to 5.61 × 10−3 (cmW−1), nonlinear refractive index (n2) from 1.31 × 10−8 to 1.89 × 10−8 (cm2 W−1) and the third-order NLO susceptibility (χ(3)) values also increased from 8.01 × 10−7 to 1.63 × 10−6 (esu). Optical Limiting characteristics of the prepared films were studied at the experimental wavelength. The inspiring results of the NLO suggest that the thin film Cd1-xAlxO is a capable and promising material for nonlinear optical devices.

Accurate determination of nonlinear refraction in ZnO and Au composite nanostructures

It is now well established that the nonlinear optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles can be significantly enhanced by coupling them to metallic nanoparticles. While the nonlinear absorption properties are well reported, there is large variation in the coefficients of nonlinear refraction reported in literature, largely due to simplifications made during the analysis of experimental z-scan data used to determine the coefficients. This work presents closed aperture z-scan theory which incorporates the effects of nonlinear absorption, thus providing a more accurate measure of the coefficient of nonlinear refraction. With this theory, it is shown that the coefficient of nonlinear refraction increases by an order of magnitude when ZnO is coupled to Au nanoparticles.

An effect of Zn content doping on opto-third order nonlinear characteristics of nanostructured CdS thin films fabricated through spray pyrolysis for optoelectronics

Abstract The facile and cost-effective fabrication of cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin films with diverse contents of Zn was carried out on substrates of glass which maintained at 300 °C temperature. The grown CdS films are observed to belong monophasic hexagonal system at all Zn contents through structural and vibrational inspections. The values of crystallites size were determined in range of 16–31 nm. The Zn existence and its homogeneity were confirmed by EDX and e-mapping. SEM study displayed the modification in surface topography of CdS films by Zn content. Ultra violet-visible-near infrared spectroscopy study revealed that the grown films are of good optical transparency. The indices of refraction values were estimated and shows the variation in range of 1–2.8 owing to Zn. The PL study propose the applications of grown films in green LEDs as the emission peak has been observed at 513 ± 17 nm. Third-order-nonlinear optics (TONLO) constraints were determined through off and on orifice Z-scan data. The order of the values of TONLO index of refraction and susceptibility was noted of 10−8 cm2/W and 10−5 esu, orders correspondingly and found to be enhanced with Zn doping in CdS. Enhancement in optical limiting behaviour of CdS was also noticed when doped with Zn.

Affirming nonlinear optical coefficient constancy from z-scan measurement

Goodness of fit is demonstrated for theoretical calculation of z-scan data based on beams propagating in the nonlinear medium and the Fresnel-Kirchhoff diffraction integral in experiments with high nonlinear refraction and absorption. The constancy of nonlinear optical parameters is achieved regardless of sample thickness and laser intensity, which clarifies the physical significance of optical parameters. We have obtained gamma = 2.0 x 10(-19) m(2)/W and beta = 5.0 x 10(-13) m/W for carbon disulfide excited by a pulsed laser at 800 nm with pulse duration of 35 fs, which are independent of sample thickness and laser intensity. Affirming constancy of the extracted parameters to the incident light intensity may become a practice to verify the goodness of the z-scan experiment.

Study the Nonlinearity Characteristics of Organic-Semiconductor (CuPc) Prepared Via Pulsed Laser Deposition Technique with Different Thickness

The optical absorption spectrum, Photoluminesces, and non-linear optical properties for Copper Phthalocyanine (CuPc) thin films (150,300 and 450 nm) respectively have been investigated via pulsed laser deposition technique. The absorption spectrum indicted that there are two bands one in UV around 330 nm which called B-band and the second in Visible around 650nm which called Q-band. Photoluminescence spectrum related to deposit samples has been determined with different thicknesses. From closed and open aperture Z-scan data non-linear absorption coefficient and non-linear refractive index have been calculated respectively using He-Ne laser which have beam waist of (24.2 μm), wave-length of (632.8 nm) and Rayleigh thickness was 2.9 mm. Through dividing closed by open apertures, non-linear refractive index was calculated accurately. Finally, the study also showed the suitability of the deposited films as an optical limiter at the wavelength 632.8 nm.

Optimizing optical traits of ammonium zinc sulphate hydrate crystal exploiting Nd3+ for photonic device applications

Current investigation explores the impact of Nd3+ ion on linear and nonlinear optical properties of ammonium zinc sulphate hydrate (AZSH) crystal for defining its suitability for photonic device applications. The Nd3+ ion influenced AZSH (Nd-AZSH) crystal has been grown by conventional slow solvent evaporation technique at room temperature. The energy dispersive spectroscopic (EDS) technique has been utilized to uncover the chemical constituents of the Nd-AZSH crystal. The powder X-ray diffraction technique has been employed to evaluate the structural parameters of Nd-AZSH crystal. The influence of Nd3+ on linear optical transmittance of AZSH crystal has been examined within the wavelength range of 200–1100 nm by means of UV–vis spectral analysis. The attributes of Nd3+ in promoting the second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of AZSH crystal has been explored by means of Kurtz-Perry powder test. The Nd-AZSH crystal has been tested by the He-Ne laser assisted Z-scan technique to investigate the third order nonlinear optical (TONLO) characteristics at wavelength 632.8 nm. The TONLO refractive index (n2), absorption coefficient (β) and susceptibility (χ3) has been evaluated using the Z-scan data.