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Semiconductor Physics Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics

Switching-on and -off dynamics of MQW structures with bistable electro-optical absorption

V. A. Kochelap

Published Oct 28, 1998• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this work we have studied the dynamics of switch-on and switch-off processes in biased MQW structures where every well shows optical bistability in a light intensity range (I l ,I h ).We have analyzed in detail MQW structures with negligible inter-well transport.We have found that the switch-on mechanism consists of a time sequence where every QW jumps into the highabsorption state.Therefore a step-like switching wave propagates through the structure.The switchoff process resembles a reverse wave propagating in the opposite direction and step-like processes in the plasma concentration decay.These effects can be used for conversion of an analog optical signal to digital (optical and electrical) signal(s).

DOI
10.15407/spqeo1.01.050

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In this work we have studied the dynamics of switch-on and switch-off processes in biased MQW structures where every well shows optical bistability in a light intensity range (I l ,I h ).We have analyzed in detail MQW structures with negligible inter-well transport.We have found that the switch-on mechanism consists of a time sequence where every QW jumps into the highabsorption state.Therefore a step-like switching wave propagates through the structure.The switchoff process resembles a reverse wave propagating in the opposite direction and step-like processes in the plasma concentration decay.These effects can be used for conversion of an analog optical signal to digital (optical and electrical) signal(s).
In this work we have studied the dynamics of switch-on and switch-off processes in biased MQW structures where every well shows optical bistability in a light intensity range (l, h). We have analysed in detail MQW structures with negligible inter-well transport. We have found that the switch-on mechanism consists of a time sequence where every QW jumps into the high-absorption state. Therefore a step-like switching wave propagates through the structure. The switch-off process resembles a reverse wave propagating in the opposite direction and step-like processes in the plasma concentration decay. These effects can be used for conversion of an analogue optical signal to digital (optical and electrical) signal(s).
Epitaxial methods allow the fabrication of nonlinear interferomethc structures which include the mirrors and the GaAs Multiple Quantum Wells (MQW) nonlinear medium in a single crystal. This results in very compact nonlinear microcavities with typically 5im overall thickness. Optical bistability is observed in these structures at mW optical power. We review our latest experimental results on these structures including the observation of high contrast switching in the reflection mode the direct measurement of dispersive optical nonlinearities in MQWs evidencing their saturation behavior at high intensities. Finally we report external-beam switching experiments which allow to assess the potential of these structures as all-optical gates.
Mirrorless optical bistability has been established in CdS1 and in multiple quantum well (MQW) GaAs structures2. The mechanism responsible for the bistable behavior in these semiconductors is the coupling between the temperature distribution and the electric field intensity in the sample. In these semiconductors, the mechanism is simple enough that a quantitative analysis should be possible. However, a successful model of bistability in these systems must await a careful experimental analysis of the thermal boundary conditions3. With this caveat we have proceeded with the theoretical development. Steady-state results for CdS and MQW GaAs are presented.
The quantum confined Stark effect has found wide application in devices for optical modulation and bistable switching. Whilst normally-incident strained layer modulators and self electro-optic effect devices (SEEDs) have been demonstrated [1-3], the introduction of strain has provided little performance advantage. Recently there has been a growing interest in the properties of strained piezoelectric structures resulting from growth on orientations other than the (100) [4-6]. In this communication we present the results of an investigation of the electro-optical absorption modulation properties of a strained InGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum well p-i(MQW)-n grown on a (111)B GaAs substrate. Subsequently we demonstrate optical bistability using the self electro-optic effect without the application of an external bias.
We have constructed a non-biased all-optical bistable device using electroabsorption in multiple quantum wells (MQWs). The device is made of a serial connection of two identical double p-i-n (p-i-n-i-p) diode structures within asymmetric Fabry–Perot (AFP) cavity. This scheme ensures both large internal electric field swing and full exploitation of the light intensity. From the measurement of the diode properties, the non-biased bistability parameters—reflection change of 19%, contrast ratio of 17:1, and bistable loop width of 70%—were obtained.