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Applied Physics Letters

Transverse effects and slowing down in the switching dynamics of induced absorption optical bistability

M. Wegener, Claus F. Klingshirn, A. Daunois, J.‐Y. Bigot, Noureddine Cherkaoui Eddeqaqi, J. B. Grün

Published Feb 29, 1988• 13 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The switching dynamics of photothermal-induced absorption optical bistability is studied in CdS. The bistable element being held near its switching threshold is switched by a pulse of an excimer laser, which can be regarded as δ shaped in time with respect to the thermal relaxation time of the sample. The dynamics of the switching process is influenced by the transverse relaxation of the temperature in the sample. Under appropriate conditions either a slowing down or a fast switching is observed.

DOI
10.1063/1.99347

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The switching dynamics of photothermal-induced absorption optical bistability is studied in CdS. The bistable element being held near its switching threshold is switched by a pulse of an excimer laser, which can be regarded as δ shaped in time with respect to the thermal relaxation time of the sample. The dynamics of the switching process is influenced by the transverse relaxation of the temperature in the sample. Under appropriate conditions either a slowing down or a fast switching is observed.
The switching dynamics of thermally induced optical bistability due to increasing absorption is investigated in thin CdS platelets, at room temperature. Fast and slow components can be observed during the switching process, they depend on the holding point intensity and on the switching pulse energy. It is shown that the transverse relaxation of the temperature in the sample influences this dynamics. The spectral shift of the band to band absorption edge, at the origin of the bistable behavior, is observed in a three beam experiment.
Fast switching times in thermooptic bistable elements held by a cw laser beam and driven by an external pulse have been observed [1,2,3]. An overheating of the nonlinear material may occur during the switching. In this case, a complicated switching behavior is observed [4]. This dynamics can be understood if the temporal variation of the medium temperature is calculated [5]. Moreover, in the experiments with CdS platelets, the transport of heat is very important and the complete spatio-temporal dynamics must be taken into account.
The switching dynamics of thermally induced optical bistability in ZnSe nonlinear interference filters is investigated experimentally and theoretically. The device, maintained on its low transmission level by a cw argon laser beam, is switched on its high transmission level by an external light pulse. Either a very fast switching or an important slowing down are obtained when the holding cw intensity or the switching pulse energy are well chosen. This variation of the switching times is analyzed theoretically and observed experimentally.
We have observed high-speed optical switching based on the optical bistability of CdSe at low temperatures due both to induced absorption and to dispersion changes. Using a streak camera to record the response of a thin CdSe platelet to high-intensity dye-laser pulses at near-band-gap energies, we have studied these phenomena on a picosecond time scale and measured switching times of several hundred picoseconds. We attribute our observations to nonlinearities caused by exciton interactions in the semiconductor material. Finally, we discuss the part played in these phenomena by thermal and other dynamic effects.
The heat flow in evaporated thin film interference filters with CdS spacer and an optional CdSe absorption layer is investigated, analyzing the dynamics of optical bistability. The influence of the spot radius r of the exciting laser beam on the switching parameters is studied experimentally and theoretically. The response to pulsed excitation of the bistable devices can be described with a relaxation time τ~r and an effective nonlinearity χ~r−2 which is inversely proportional to the heat capacity of the bistable element.
The authors investigate optical bistability in CdS, induced by photo-electronic non-linearities. Varying the photon energy and the temperature of the sample they find three different types of optical bistability. The switching times are always around 1 ns or below, notably 300 ps for dispersive optical bistability. Optical bistability by bleaching of absorption at room temperature shows a contrast ratio of about 50 between the two stable branches. The dependence on various parameters, including the microscopic foundations, is discussed experimentally as well as theoretically.