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Physica Scripta

Fast Switchings and Slowing Down in Thermal Optical Bistable Devices

A. Daunois, J.-Y. Bigot, J. B. Grün

Published Jan 1, 1987• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

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.

DOI
10.1088/0031-8949/1987/t19b/031

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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.
For the first time, ZnSe epitaxial layers grown by molecular-beam epitaxy are shown to exhibit large contrast, low power, and extremely long-term stable thermally induced absorptive optical bistability. It is observed over a wide temperature range between 169 K and RT, with a strongly variable loop width and a switch-back adjustable to be less than 50% of the respective switch-down value. Critical slowing down as well as switch-down times are studied in dependence of the excess over the switch-down intensity values.
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.
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.
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.