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

Semiconductor waveguides for optical switching

S. Laval

Published Feb 1, 1991• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Nonlinear semiconductor waveguides are investigated with respect to their use for optical bistability and temporal optical switching with results given for silicon-on-sapphire devices. The performance of the waveguides is assessed with comparisons to nonlinear Fabry-Perot cavities, and the conditions for optical bistability are theoretically shown to be possible by combining a waveguide and a diffraction-grating coupler. Structures experimentally investigated include semiconductor layers epitaxially grown on substrates having low refractive indices. Optical switching is reported on reflected or transmitted beams and on the guided-wave intensity by means of excitation pulses in the nanosecond or picosecond range. The data confirm the usefulness of nonlinear waveguides as alternative devices for temporal optical switching and logic-gate development in part due to their good switching times.

DOI
10.1117/12.24512

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Nonlinear semiconductor waveguides are investigated with respect to their use for optical bistability and temporal optical switching with results given for silicon-on-sapphire devices. The performance of the waveguides is assessed with comparisons to nonlinear Fabry-Perot cavities, and the conditions for optical bistability are theoretically shown to be possible by combining a waveguide and a diffraction-grating coupler. Structures experimentally investigated include semiconductor layers epitaxially grown on substrates having low refractive indices. Optical switching is reported on reflected or transmitted beams and on the guided-wave intensity by means of excitation pulses in the nanosecond or picosecond range. The data confirm the usefulness of nonlinear waveguides as alternative devices for temporal optical switching and logic-gate development in part due to their good switching times.
A silicon-on-sapphire waveguide is studied theoretically and experimentally in a pulsed regime to obtain bistable operation. Very fast switchings can be observed and are explained as a result of the competition between electronic and thermal nonlinear effects. Pseudobistable operation is demonstrated when the electronic effects are favored, owing to an increase in the silicon photogenerated electron–hole pair lifetime or to a reduction in the incident pulse duration. Other factors such as the grating-coupler efficiency and the sample thermalization can, likewise, improve the device operation.
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We present a theoretical model that describes accurately the nonlinear phenomenon of optical bistability in silicon-waveguide resonators but remains amenable to analytical results. Using this model, we derive a transcendental equation governing the intensity of a continuous wave transmitted through a Fabry-Perot resonator formed using a silicon-on-insulator waveguide. This equation reveals a dual role of free carriers in the formation of optical bistability in silicon. First, it shows that free-carrier absorption results in a saturation of the transmitted intensity. Second, the free-carrier dispersion and the thermo-optic effect may introduce phase shifts far exceeding those resulting from the Kerr effect alone, thus enabling one to achieve optical bistability in ultrashort resonators that are only a few micrometers long. Bistability can occur even when waveguide facets are not coated because natural reflectivity of the silicon- r interface can provide sufficient feedback. We find that it is possible to control the input-output characteristics of silicon-based resonators by changing the free-carrier lifetime using a reverse-biased p-n junction. We show theoretically that such a technique is suitable for realization of electronically assisted optical switching at a fixed input power and it may lead to silicon-based, nanometer-size, optical memories.
The paper briefly reviews the major forms of optical bistability in active optical devices compatible for use in gigabit optical communication systems, and reports an entirely new optical bistability for the first time. Unlike previous devices, the two bistable states of the optical device are each a series of picosecond optical pulses at 1 GHz or greater repetition rates, and are distinguished by a half period temporal shift between their temporal positions in relation to a clock pulse. The bistable device is based on a gain switched semiconductor laser. Theoretical studies suggest 100-ps switching speeds might be achieved, and experimental results are reported indicating optically triggered switching times of 500 ps.
A theoretical demonstration of optical bistability in periodic layered media, particularly in long-period GaAs/AlAs superlattices is presented. The proposed structure consists of a periodic multilayer system, as opposed to previously demonstrated nonlinear bistable devices which employed Fabry-Perot etalons. The optical resonance effect which is essential for bistable devices is, in this case, induced by a refractive index modulation. The nonlinear active medium is distributed in the whole structure rather than placed between the two mirrors of a Fabry-Perot cavity. It is shown by a complete calculation of wave propagation in the periodic nonlinear medium that a multiple valued feature appears in the structure's nonlinear reflectivity spectrum. The input/output characteristics of the structure exhibit bistable hysteresis similar to that of a nonlinear Fabry-Perot etalon.>