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Journal of Nonlinear Optical Physics & Materials

Spatial Structures in Semiconductor Devices

W. J. Firth, Angus Lord

Published Jun 1, 1998• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

The basic physics of nonlinear optics in semiconductors is reviewed. Optical bistability due to increasing absorption and in a Kerr cavity is discussed, as are spatial solitons in a Kerr medium. These introduce recent research on spontaneous pattern formation and soliton-like structures in semiconductor cavity models. Applications to optical information processing are discussed, and simulations of a soliton array memory presented.

DOI
10.1142/s0218863598000211

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The basic physics of nonlinear optics in semiconductors is reviewed. Optical bistability due to increasing absorption and in a Kerr cavity is discussed, as are spatial solitons in a Kerr medium. These introduce recent research on spontaneous pattern formation and soliton-like structures in semiconductor cavity models. Applications to optical information processing are discussed, and simulations of a soliton array memory presented.
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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.
Nonlinear optical properties of laser-excited semiconductors are discussed, and the applications to optical bistability and optical logic are reviewed. The physical origin of the nonlinearities is analyzed in terms of the many-body interactions in the system of electron-hole pairs, causing effects such as plasma screening of the Coulomb interaction, band-gap renormalization, and band filling. Theoretical results for absorption and refractive-index spectra are compared to experimental data obtained for room-temperature GaAs and other semiconductors. The experimental and theoretical results for dispersive optical bistability in semiconductors are summarized, and recent experiments on optical logic gating and pattern recognition are discussed.