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Optics in Computing

Optical bistability in a Vertical-Cavity Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (VCSOA): pulsed input

Pengyue Wen, Michael Sánchez, Matthias Groß, Sadik C. Esener

Published Jan 1, 2003• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We report experimental observations of optical bistability in a vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier subject to an external pulsed input. Results show that the nonlinear transition exists with Ins-duration pulsed input.
DOI
10.1364/oc.2003.otha4

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We report, the first time to our knowledge, an observation of optical bistability in a Vertical-Cavity Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (VCSOA) operated in reflection mode. Counterclockwise hysteresis loops are obtained over a range of initial phase detuning and bias currents. One hysteresis loop is observed experimentally with an input power as low as 2 ìW when the device is biased at 98% of its lasing threshold. We also numerically simulate the optical bistability and obtain good agreement with our experimental observations. Bistable VCSOAs significantly advances the prospect of dense 2-D array of low switching-intensity all-optical logic and memory elements.
We report experimental measurements of Optical Bistability (OB) and nonlinear switching in a 1550 nm-Vertical-Cavity Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (VCSOA) operated in reflection and biased below and above its threshold current. Two different types of OB and nonlinear switching, anticlockwise and clockwise, have been observed in both the optical power and wavelength domain. The influence of important parameters including the bias current, the initial wavelength detuning and the optical input power has also been studied. The existence of diverse forms of OB and nonlinear switching in a VCSOA operated in reflection opens the door for the development of inverting and non-inverting logic gates, using, respectively, the anticlockwise or the clockwise nonlinear switching transitions appearing in the VCSOA under external optical injection.
The characteristics of optical bistability in a vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier (VCSOA) operated in reflection are reported. The dependences of the optical bistability in VCSOAs on the initial phase detuning and on the applied bias current are analyzed. The optical bistability is also studied for different numbers of superimposed periods in the top distributed bragg reflector (DBR) that conform the internal cavity of the device. The appearance of the X-bistable and the clockwise bistable loops is predicted theoretically in a VCSOA operated in reflection for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Moreover, it is also predicted that the control of the VCSOA's top reflectivity by the addition of new superimposed periods in its top DBR reduces by one order of magnitude the input power needed for the assessment of the X- and the clockwise bistable loop, compared to that required in in-plane semiconductor optical amplifiers. These results, added to the ease of fabricating two-dimensional arrays of this kind of device could be useful for the development of new optical logic or optical signal regeneration devices.