Bistability in a thermally-activated optical switch

Richard R. Wyatt, Mike J. Adams

Optical bistability in active semiconductor devices has attracted considerable interest recently due to the possibility of combining microwatt switching powers with nanosecond switching times. We present experimental and theoretical results of optical bistability in a distributed-feedback (DFB) laser amplifier operating in reflection at 1.5 μm; switch-on delay followed by a sharp transient overshoot is predicted and observed. Minimum switching energies are in the femtojoule region.

Zhuang Xu, John Tann, Michael Gal +1 more

John Gerard McInerney, Yuan Li, Theodore C. Salvi +1 more

Bistable optical devices (BODs) are interesting for optical switching, limiting, memory, signal conditioning and logic [1]. Semiconductor-based BODs are especially promising because their large nonlinearities should permit development of compact, rugged and efficient systems. Here we concentrate on active semiconductor BODs and switches, that is those which have internal gain, such as injection lasers and amplifiers.

A. S. B. Sombra

Ajoy Kumar Kar, Brian S. Wherrett

Optical bistability and switching can be obtained in a number of semiconductors in various ways: dispersive bistability of electronic origin(1,2), thermal dispersive bistability(3,4) and absorptive switching(5,6).

E. Garmire, John H. Marburger, Susan Davis Allen +1 more