Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Applied Physics Letters

Use of a diode laser to observe room-temperature, low-power optical bistability in a GaAs-AlGaAs etalon

S. S. Tarng, H. M. Gibbs, Jack L. Jewell, Nasser N. Peyghambarian, Arthur C. Gossard, Thirumalai Venkatesan, W. Wiegmann

Published Feb 15, 1984• 37 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Optical bistability is observed using a single-mode diode laser in a GaAs-AlGaAs multiple-quantum-well etalon with as low as six mW power at 830 nm.
DOI
10.1063/1.94775

Related papers

Semiconductor nonlinear etalons

H. M. Gibbs, Jack L. Jewell, Nasser N. Peyghambarian +7 more

Abstract Previous observations of optical bistability in nonlinear etalons of ZnS, CuCl and GaAs are summarized. Emphasis is placed upon recent results in GaAs: similar room-temperature optical bistability at powers under 10 mW in bulk and multiple quantum-well etalons; room-temperature bistability achieved with a diode laser as a light source; NOR and other logic operations; optical fibre signal regeneration and continuous wave operation.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series A Mathematical and Physical Sciences•Dec 18, 1984•8 citations

Room Temperature Excitonic Optical Bistability in GaAs Etalons

H. M. Gibbs, S. S. Tamg, Jack L. Jewell +6 more

Optical bistable devices may someday be the key elements of all-optical logic and computing systems.1 Semiconductor devices appear particularly promising because of very large optical nonlinearities permitting the construction of very small devices. The goal is to develop small (≃ 1 μm), fast (≃ 1 ps), low-power (≃ 1 μW), high-temperature (≃ 300 K) devices. Herein is reported room-temperature operation of GaAs devices that are similar in size, speed, and power to the low-temperature pure-GaAs device.2

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 1982•2 citations

Low Power Optical Switching In GaAs Epitaxial Etalons

J. L. Oudar, Bruno G. Sfez, Robert Kuszelewicz

Epitaxial methods allow the fabrication of nonlinear interferometric structures which include the mirrors and the nonlinear medium in a single crystal. Optical bistability is observed in these structures at mW optical power. The large excitonic and band-gap resonant nonlinearities of direct-gap semiconductors, such as bulk GaAs or Multiple Quantum Wells (MQW), allow to reach a substantial phase-shift (0.2-0.3 radian) over interaction lengths as small as a few wavelengths. This results in very compact nonlinear microcavities, with typically 5μm overall thickness.

Digest on Nonlinear Optics: Materials, Phenomena and Devices•Jan 1, 1990•0 citations

Room-temperature excitonic optical bistability in bulk GaAs

Jack L. Jewell, Seth Ovadia, Nasser N. Peyghambarian +4 more

Optical bistable devices containing GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) structures have shown great potential for performing fast low-power optical switching at room temperature.1 The presence of a much stronger exciton absorption feature in the MQW structures compared to bulk GaAs suggests far superior performance in the former. We report the observation of room-temperature bistability in bulk GaAs with input power <10 mW and intensities of a few kW/cm2. The intensities are consistent with the data of Miller et al.2 which show a saturation intensity of nearly 4 kW/cm2 in a MQW sample with a detuning of less than a halfwidth from the peak of the exciton resonance. Our detunings are always several halfwidths.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 1984•1 citation

Low-power optical bistability in a thermally stable AlGaAs étalon

Eric Masseboeuf, Olof Sahlén, Ulf Olin +3 more

Optical bistability with 10 mW input power is reported in a thermally stable, nonlinear AlGaAs étalon. A 3-μm-thick silver layer, which serves both as high-reflecting mirror and heat sink, makes it possible to operate the device at arbitrary duty cycles and pulse lengths up to 0.5 s, without any regenerative pulsations, at room temperature. The device operation depends on the plasma-induced electronic nonlinearity, and switching times are typically 10 ns. Device performance is compared with results from a numerical model which takes diffraction, diffusion, and heat conduction into account.

Applied Physics Letters•Jun 5, 1989•13 citations

Evidence That Room Temperature Optical Bistability Is Excitonic In Both Bulk And Multiple-Quantum-Well Gallium Arsenide

Seth Ovadia, H. M. Gibbs, Jack L. Jewell +2 more

The minimum power (=5 mW) for room-temperature optical bistability is very similar in bulk and multiple-quantum-well (MQW) etalons. No exciton resonance is obvious in the absorption spectrum of bulk GaAs at 300 K because it blends into the band edge, but it is present, and its area is two-thirds that of the MOW heavy-hole exciton. It is shown that the excitonic nonlinear index change is consistent with the observed bistability.

Optical Engineering•Aug 1, 1985•17 citations
Optical bistable devices may someday be the key elements of all-optical logic and computing systems.1 Semiconductor devices appear particularly promising because of very large optical nonlinearities permitting the construction of very small devices. The goal is to develop small (≃ 1 μm), fast (≃ 1 ps), low-power (≃ 1 μW), high-temperature (≃ 300 K) devices. Herein is reported room-temperature operation of GaAs devices that are similar in size, speed, and power to the low-temperature pure-GaAs device.2
Epitaxial methods allow the fabrication of nonlinear interferometric structures which include the mirrors and the nonlinear medium in a single crystal. Optical bistability is observed in these structures at mW optical power. The large excitonic and band-gap resonant nonlinearities of direct-gap semiconductors, such as bulk GaAs or Multiple Quantum Wells (MQW), allow to reach a substantial phase-shift (0.2-0.3 radian) over interaction lengths as small as a few wavelengths. This results in very compact nonlinear microcavities, with typically 5μm overall thickness.
Optical bistable devices containing GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) structures have shown great potential for performing fast low-power optical switching at room temperature.1 The presence of a much stronger exciton absorption feature in the MQW structures compared to bulk GaAs suggests far superior performance in the former. We report the observation of room-temperature bistability in bulk GaAs with input power <10 mW and intensities of a few kW/cm2. The intensities are consistent with the data of Miller et al.2 which show a saturation intensity of nearly 4 kW/cm2 in a MQW sample with a detuning of less than a halfwidth from the peak of the exciton resonance. Our detunings are always several halfwidths.
Optical bistability with 10 mW input power is reported in a thermally stable, nonlinear AlGaAs étalon. A 3-μm-thick silver layer, which serves both as high-reflecting mirror and heat sink, makes it possible to operate the device at arbitrary duty cycles and pulse lengths up to 0.5 s, without any regenerative pulsations, at room temperature. The device operation depends on the plasma-induced electronic nonlinearity, and switching times are typically 10 ns. Device performance is compared with results from a numerical model which takes diffraction, diffusion, and heat conduction into account.