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Applied Physics Letters

Spot size dependence of switching power for an optically bistable InSb element

David J. Hagan, Hugh Alexander MacKenzie, J. J. E. Reid, Andrew Walker, Frank A. P. Tooley

Published Aug 1, 1985• 17 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The dependence of switching power upon input beam spot radius for an optically bistable InSb étalon has been measured. The results show that the irradiance required for switching increases as the spot radius is reduced. There is no evidence of any lower limit to the switching power, even for spot radii much less than the ambipolar diffusion length. Studies of the transmitted beam intensity profile in the near-field demonstrate the role of diffusion in our observations. The implications of our results for digital optical processing are briefly discussed.

DOI
10.1063/1.96217

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Optics Letters•May 1, 1984•17 citations
The dependence of switching power upon input beam spot radius for an optically bistable InSb étalon has been measured. The results show that the irradiance required for switching increases as the spot radius is reduced. There is no evidence of any lower limit to the switching power, even for spot radii much less than the ambipolar diffusion length. Studies of the transmitted beam intensity profile in the near-field demonstrate the role of diffusion in our observations. The implications of our results for digital optical processing are briefly discussed.
Cross talk due to transverse carrier diffusion between identical bistable elements on an InSb étalon at 80 K is studied both theoretically and experimentally. Measurements of cross talk between two such elements show that typically, for a practical system, a critical separation of a few diffusion lengths between beam centers is necessary for independent operation. When the difference between holding and switching powers approaches zero, the results show that the critical distance diverges. Delays as great as 4 μsec have been observed when one element is switched and its neighbor is induced to switch through the cross-talk mechanism. These delays can be partially attributed to critical slowing down, and, in principle, they diverge as the interelement distance is increased toward the critical separation. A theoretical model based on the diffusion equation for the single-pass nonlinear phase shift shows how the critical separation depends on physical parameters and the number of elements forming an array. We found that the relevant interaction is essentially limited to nearest neighbors. When the theory is applied to two bistable elements, good agreement is obtained with the experiments in both the steady and the dynamic states.
In this research, analytical study for simulating a Fabry-Perot bistable etalon (F-P cavity) filled with a dispersive optimized nonlinear optical material (Kerr type) such as semiconductors Indium Antimonide (InSb). An optimization procedure using reflective (~85%) InSb etalon (~50µm) thick is described. For this etalon with a (50 µm) spot diameter beam, the minimum switching power is (~0.078 mW) and switching time is (~150 ns), leading to a switching energy of (~11.77 pJ) for this device. Also, the main role played by the temperature to change the etalon characteristic from nonlinear to linear dynamics.
The switching dynamics of an InSb optically bistable etalon are analyzed in terms of effective time constants which change dramatically near the switch points. Results are presented which show nanosecond switching, critical slowing down, optical biomodality, and noise filtration. The influence of noise levels on both the switching dynamics and the system stability close to switching are discussed. The InSb-CO system has the merits of being extremely stable and reproducible so that the detailed switching dynamics and statistics can be reliably assessed. In addition, it may be regarded as a model system so that the results presented can be scaled with appropriate material time constants to other bistable systems.>
In this work, analytical study for simulating a Fabry-Perot bistable etalon (F-P cavity) filled with a dispersive optimized nonlinear optical material (Kerr type) such as semiconductors Indium Antimonide (InSb). Because of a trade off between the etalon finesse values and driving terms, an optimization procedures have been done on the InSb etalon/CO laser parameters, using critical switching irradiance (Ic) via simulation systems of optimization procedures of optical cavity. in order to achieve the minimum switching power and faster switching time, the optimization parameters of the finesse values and driving terms on optical bistability and switching dynamics must be studied. In addition, for different values of a cavity finesse (for example, F = 25 and 2.37) the switching intensity takes low values with a high finesse etalon compared to a high switching intensity with a low finesse etalon. So, the minimum switching power for a low finesse etalon is ⁓0.785mW, and is about 0.0785mW for a high finesse etalon. The driving term peak of a high finesse etalon becomes higher and the slowing down region becomes less, leading to a fast switching as compared with a slow switching in a low finesse etalon. So that, the minimum switching time was about 300ns for a low finesse etalon, and about 150ns for a high finesse etalon.