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Applied Physics Letters

Bistable optical behavior of a nonlinear attenuated total reflection device: Resonant excitation of nonlinear guided modes

R. Reinisch, P. Arlot, Guy Vitrant, E. Pic

Published Dec 15, 1985• 25 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We study the prism excitation of a nonlinear waveguide. The nonlinear medium is the substrate which exhibits Kerr effect. Our results show that such a device experiences optical bistability. We also show that there exists a close link between optical bistability and resonant excitation of nonlinear guided modes propagating along this nonlinear waveguide.

DOI
10.1063/1.96293

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Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Jul 1, 1985•68 citations
We study the prism excitation of a nonlinear waveguide. The nonlinear medium is the substrate which exhibits Kerr effect. Our results show that such a device experiences optical bistability. We also show that there exists a close link between optical bistability and resonant excitation of nonlinear guided modes propagating along this nonlinear waveguide.
A guided wave is launched through a nonlinear prism coupler whose prism-waveguide gap is filled with a liquid crystal. We observe that the intensity of the guided wave may exhibit optical bistability. Tests are realized which proove that the loops are true bistable cycles and not only hysteresis. The experimental results are in good agreement with plane-wave calculations. The disagreement with finite-width incident beam calculations is explained by a thermal averaging process within the liquid crystal.
A new use of gratings in nonlinear optics is presented, i.e., the realization of bistable components. The device studied here consist of grating couplers ruled on a Kerr nonlinear medium, which use the guided-wave resonance to increase the local field and thus the nonlinearities. The result is that they are intrinsic bistable optical systems with high-speed, low pumping thresholds, and geometry well adapted to optical integration. First, a linear electromagnetic study of the devices is presented. It follows optimizing the grating parameters in order to get the best coupling between the incident beam and the guided mode inside the corrugated waveguide. Then a graphical construction is given that demonstrates the bistable character of the system in nonlinear optics. Next a nonlinear analysis of the devices is rigorously derived from Maxwell equations. It states precisely the predictions of the graphical construction and allows comparison of the effectiveness of the guided-wave resonance with the surface plasmon resonance in order to reduce the threshold of bistability.