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Stopping, Storing andReleasing LightinQuantum WellBraggStructures

Zhi-Xiang Yang, N. H. Kwong, R. Binderl

Published Jan 1, 2005• 0 citations

Abstract

Stopping, storing andreleasing oflight inresonant photonic bandgap structures madefrom Bragg-spaced quantum wells isstudied. Theexpected performance ofalmost ideal infinite systemsiscontrasted withthatofexisting structures. (©) 2005Optical Society ofAmerica OCIS codes:190.5970 Semiconductor nonlinear optics including MQW, 320.7130 Ultrafast processes incondensed matter, including semiconductors Photonic bandgapstructures suchasphotonic crystals andlayered periodic optical structures-have become important tools forthedeliberate control andmanipulation oflight. Oneclass ofphotonic bandgap structures contains periodically spaced materials withoptical resonances. Oftenreferred toasresonant photonic bandgap structures (RPBG's), this class includes amultiple semiconductor quantum well system whereone Braggfrequency ischosen tobenearthefrequency oftheexciton resonance ineachquantum well(see, e.g., [1, 2,3]). Animportant potential application ofRPBG'sistheslowing andstopping oflight. Here, wedescribe a scheme forthestopping, storing andreleasing oflight thatisbased onthemanipulation ofthephotonic bandstructure ofquantum well Bragg structures. Inaddition toadiscussion ofthebasic idea intermsofideal infinitely (oratleast very) longstructures, wepresent numerical results aimedatevaluating thefeasibility ofcontrolled delay andpossible stopping oflight pulses inrealistic quantum wellBraggstructures. Weshow thattheusefulness ofquantum wellBragg structures foroptical delay lines depends critically onthenumber ofquantumwells andthedephasing/loss mechanism ineachunitcell oftheRPBG,andwealsooutline optimization strategies intermsofspectral light characteristics aswell asquasi anti-reflection coating ofthe

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We present a theoretical analysis of light propagation in one-dimensional resonant photonic bandgap structures (RPBGs). The analysis is aimed at evaluating the feasibility of controlled stopping, storing, and releasing of light pulses by parametric manipulation of the RPBG's bandstructure. First we lay the conceptual foundation of light-pulse delay by means of band structure control in infinite RPBGs, and then we contrast the idealized concepts with numerical results for realistic, finite-sized RPBGs. For a physical model for RPBGs, we use semiconductor quantum-well Bragg structures, but the general analysis is valid for a wider class of RPBG. We show that the usefulness of RPBGs for optical delay lines depends critically on the number of quantum wells and the dephasing and loss mechanisms in each unit cell of the RPBG, and we also outline optimization strategies in terms of spectral light characteristics as well as quasi-antireflection coating of the RPBGs.

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Stopping, storing andreleasing oflight inresonant photonic bandgap structures madefrom Bragg-spaced quantum wells isstudied. Theexpected performance ofalmost ideal infinite systemsiscontrasted withthatofexisting structures. (©) 2005Optical Society ofAmerica OCIS codes:190.5970 Semiconductor nonlinear optics including MQW, 320.7130 Ultrafast processes incondensed matter, including semiconductors Photonic bandgapstructures suchasphotonic crystals andlayered periodic optical structures-have become important tools forthedeliberate control andmanipulation oflight. Oneclass ofphotonic bandgap structures contains periodically spaced materials withoptical resonances. Oftenreferred toasresonant photonic bandgap structures (RPBG's), this class includes amultiple semiconductor quantum well system whereone Braggfrequency ischosen tobenearthefrequency oftheexciton resonance ineachquantum well(see, e.g., [1, 2,3]). Animportant potential application ofRPBG'sistheslowing andstopping oflight. Here, wedescribe a scheme forthestopping, storing andreleasing oflight thatisbased onthemanipulation ofthephotonic bandstructure ofquantum well Bragg structures. Inaddition toadiscussion ofthebasic idea intermsofideal infinitely (oratleast very) longstructures, wepresent numerical results aimedatevaluating thefeasibility ofcontrolled delay andpossible stopping oflight pulses inrealistic quantum wellBraggstructures. Weshow thattheusefulness ofquantum wellBragg structures foroptical delay lines depends critically onthenumber ofquantumwells andthedephasing/loss mechanism ineachunitcell oftheRPBG,andwealsooutline optimization strategies intermsofspectral light characteristics aswell asquasi anti-reflection coating ofthe

We present a theoretical analysis of light propagation in one-dimensional resonant photonic bandgap structures (RPBGs). The analysis is aimed at evaluating the feasibility of controlled stopping, storing, and releasing of light pulses by parametric manipulation of the RPBG's bandstructure. First we lay the conceptual foundation of light-pulse delay by means of band structure control in infinite RPBGs, and then we contrast the idealized concepts with numerical results for realistic, finite-sized RPBGs. For a physical model for RPBGs, we use semiconductor quantum-well Bragg structures, but the general analysis is valid for a wider class of RPBG. We show that the usefulness of RPBGs for optical delay lines depends critically on the number of quantum wells and the dephasing and loss mechanisms in each unit cell of the RPBG, and we also outline optimization strategies in terms of spectral light characteristics as well as quasi-antireflection coating of the RPBGs.

There is a wide variety of proposals for implementations of slow-light effects, and many of them are described in the various chapters of this book. The physical implementations vary from system to system, and so do the mathematical formalisms used to describe the specific physical systems. However, it is also possible that one has two completely different physical slow-light systems, yet the mathematical framework describing the slowing and stopping of light is very similar. In this chapter, we present an example falling into this category. The two physically different slow-light systems are (1) semiconductor multiple quantum wells (QWs) (more specifically: Bragg-spaced multiple QWs, or BSQWs [1-16]) and (2) optical resonators (more specifically: side-coupled integrated spaced sequence of resonators with two waveguide channels, or two-channel SCISSORs [17,18]). In Figure 13.1, BSQWs are schematically shown as a sequence of thin semiconductor QWs, spaced by a distance a with a dielectric of refractive index nb between the wells. SCISSORs are sequences of ring-shaped dielectric optical microresonators coupled to two waveguides (Figure 13.2). Clearly, these are very different physical systems, and so onemay wonder in which sense slow-light concepts (i.e., the concepts for delaying, stopping, storing, and releasing light) can be similar or almost identical in these systems. The answer to this question lies in the fact that both systems can be viewed as physical realizations of one-dimensional resonant photonic bandgap structures (RPBGs). RPBGs differ from conventional (nonresonant) photonic bandgap structures in that each unit cell in the photonic lattice exhibits an optical resonance with a resonance frequency that is identical or at least close to the Bragg frequency characterizing the optical lattice. In QWs, the optical resonance is taken to be the heavy-hole exciton resonance, while in SCISSORs we take one of the optical resonances of the microrings.

Abstract We discuss a scheme for controlled stopping, storing, and releasing of light pulses in one‐dimensional resonant photonic band gap structures (RPBG's) made of Bragg spaced quantum wells. Our scheme is based on parametric manipulation of the RPBG's bandstructure in real time. We extend earlier studies on the limitations of presently existing quantum well Bragg structures to the regime of small detunings of the exciton resonance from the Bragg frequency. We also set the stage for exploring mechanisms of bandstructure control by studying the nonlinear response of the quantum well RPBG. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)