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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Bistable Optoelectronic Devices

John Gerard McInerney

Published Jan 1, 1987• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

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.

DOI
10.1117/12.967536

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A review is given of reported results for optical bistability in semiconductors, with especial reference to that occurring in laser structures. Estimates are made of likely improvements that may occur in power-speed trade-offs for these devices. It is concluded that laser amplifier bistability offers comparable or, in some cases, better total energy budgets than for other forms and has the useful attribute of optical gain. However, extreme wavelength sensitivity and difficulty in forming large two-dimensional arrays using today's technology mitigate against use of the amplifier for large-scale optical logic. These two factors may be avoided by the use of self-electro-optic effect devices (SEEDs), which are less wavelength-sensitive, and by multiple-quantum-well dispersive etalons in the case of requirements for large amounts of parallel processing.
Abstract This paper briefly reviews the nonlinear optical and electro-optical properties and applications of GaAs—AlGaAs multiple quantum wells, all of which are compatible with laser diodes or semiconductor electronics or both. They show large nonlinear absorption and refraction (associated with their strong room-temperature exciton resonances) applicable to all-optical devices. They also show large electroabsorptive effects, some of which are unique to the quantum wells at any temperature, which are so strong that optical modulators can be made with micrometre dimensions. A new class of optical bistability (due to increasing absorption) is also reviewed; combination of this with the electroabsorptive effects enables a new mirrorless optical switch called a Self Electro-optic Effect Device (SEED), which sets a new standard for optical switching energies, with energy densities reduced by a factor of six by comparison to even the best resonant cavity devices.
In this paper we present the basic principles of optical bistability and summarize the current advances in semiconductor optical switching, with emphasis on recent results in GaAs, CuCI, InAs, InSb, CdS, ZnS, and ZnSe etalons. These devices have great potential for applications involving optical signal processing and computing. As an example, we discuss the use of arrays of bistable devices for parallel optical processing and for addressable spatial light modulators. The use of nonlinear etalons as optical gates is also illustrated. To date, GaAs devices have shown the most favorable characteristics for practical applications. They operate at room temperature with a few milliwatts of power using a laser diode as the only light source. Quasi-cw operation and optical fiber signal regeneration have also been demonstrated. A GaAs NOR gate operates in 1 ps with <3 pJ incident energy; this, of course, implies a 1 ps switch-on time for a bistable etalon.
A time-dependent theory of optical bistability is developed and applied to laser amplifiers and passive semiconductor etalons. Results of the theory show an output intensity spike in switch-up which occurs after a time delay determined largely by the carrier recombination time, and before which the transition is unstable. Although for passive etalons the spike is rather broad (of order 1 ns for parameters appropriate to GaAs at 0.85 μm or InGaAsP at 1.55 μm) and of low amplitude, for amplifiers it is roughly an order of magnitude narrower and higher in amplitude. As a consequence, it is predicted that clock speeds for semiconductor bistable switching elements will be limited to rates commensurate with the carrier recombination time, not only for switch-down operations (as already well known) but also for switch-up operations.
A comparison is presented between optical bistability in laser amplifiers and in passive Fabry-Perot cavities. The basis for comparison is afforded by a new analysis of optical amplifiers which encompasses the cases of passive refractive and absorptive bistability as special limiting cases. The results indicate that amplifiers have advantages of lower input intensity requirements (by a factor of 103) and reduced sensitivity to wavelength by comparison with passive cavities; experimental results indicate an input power of -30 dBm is required for active bistability. Facet coating requirements for active and passive optimum configurations are also discussed.