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arXiv:1404.4395 · Optics Letters

Cavity-enabled self-electro-optic bistability in silicon photonics

Arka Majumdar, Armand Rundquist

Published Jun 20, 2014• 15 citations
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Abstract

We propose a new type of bistable device for silicon photonics, using the self-electro-optic effect within an optical cavity. Since the bistability does not depend on the intrinsic optical nonlinearity of the material, but is instead engineered by means of optoelectronic feedback, it appears at low optical powers. This bistable device satisfies all the basic criteria required in an optical switch to build a scalable digital optical computing system.

DOI
10.1364/ol.39.003864

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We propose a new type of bistable device for silicon photonics, using the self-electro-optic effect within an optical cavity. Since the bistability does not depend on the intrinsic optical nonlinearity of the material, but is instead engineered by means of optoelectronic feedback, it appears at low optical powers. This bistable device satisfies all the basic criteria required in an optical switch to build a scalable digital optical computing system.
We experimentally demonstrate a fundamentally new type of intrinsic optical bistability that requires no resonant optical cavity. Operation is based on mutual self-focusing of counterpropagating laser beams in a nonlinear medium. We propose and experimentally demonstrate a fundamentally new type of optical bistability. 1 The operation of this new class of devices is based on self-focusing of light; the feedback required for bistability is provided by an apertured retroreflector. These devices exhibit intrinsic bistability (the feedback is optical) and are related to nonlinear waveguide devices proposed earlier. 2 Self-focusing occurs when a light beam having a nonuniform spatial profile (such as a Gaussian laser beam) and sufficient intensity propagates through a nonlinear medium having an intensity-dependent index of refraction. 3 Previously proposed devices that exhibited
We present a review of optical bistability in active and passive optoelectronic devices, with particular reference to switching speeds and powers. The large resonant nonlinearities available near the bandgaps of semiconductors may be utilized to develop bistable devices operating at low powers and high speeds. Passive devices are driven by external optical sources and include nonlinear etalons, nonlinear interfaces, self-focusing configurations and electro-optic modulators with electrical feedback. Active devices include injection lasers and superluminescent amplifiers. Potential advantages of active devices include speed, gain, sensitivity and the ability to drive other devices, but complexity and high power dissipation may limit their use in applications requiring high density.
Weak material nonlinearity at optical frequencies poses a serious hurdle to realizing optical bistability at low optical powers, which is a critical component for digital optical computing. In this paper, we explore the cavity enhancement of the second-order optical nonlinearity in order to determine the feasibility of few photon optical bistability. Starting from a quantum optical formalism of a doubly resonant cavity (required to meet the condition of phase matching), we derive a dynamic classical model of a cavity that is bistable at the fundamental mode. We analyze the optical energy and the switching speed as a function of the cavity quality factors and mode volumes and identify the regime where only ten's of photons are required to perform the switching. An unusual trend in the switching speed is also observed, where the speed monotonically decreases as the cavity linewidth increases. This is ascribed to the increase in the switching gain with increasing cavity linewidth.
We demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, optical bistability on a highly integrated silicon device, using a 5-microm-radius ring resonator. The strong light-confinement nature of the resonator induces nonlinear optical response with low pump power. We show that the optical bistability allows all-optical functionalities, such as switching and memory with microsecond time response and a modulation depth of 10 dB, driven by pump power as low as 45 microW. Silicon optical bistability relies on a fast thermal nonlinear optical effect presenting a 500-kHz modulation bandwidth.