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Photorefractive Effects, Materials, and Devices

High-Order Diffraction in Photorefractive Quantum Well Structures

Q. N. Wang, David D. Nolte, M. R. Melloch

Published Jan 1, 1991• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Recently, the high speed of semiconductor materials was combined with the large optical nonlinearity of the Franz-Kelydish effect near the quantum confined exciton absorption within semi-insulating multiple quantum well structures (SIMQW)[1]. The diffraction efficiency of four wave mixing obtained in the SIMQW with an optical interaction length of 1.05 µm is comparable with the diffraction efficiency for a semiconductor bulk sample with an optical interaction length of several mm operating under similar conditions. Thus, SIMQW become a ideal candidate to study the diffraction process in the Raman-Nath regime[2]. Here, we report two effects of the second order diffraction in a SIMQW sample under applied field: 1) the direct observation of a strong second order diffraction signal; 2) the intensity of the degenerate four wave mixing signal depends on the direction of applied field when the fringe spacing becomes large.

DOI
10.1364/pmed.1991.ma7

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Photonics Letters of Poland•Mar 31, 2012•0 citations
Recently, the high speed of semiconductor materials was combined with the large optical nonlinearity of the Franz-Kelydish effect near the quantum confined exciton absorption within semi-insulating multiple quantum well structures (SIMQW)[1]. The diffraction efficiency of four wave mixing obtained in the SIMQW with an optical interaction length of 1.05 µm is comparable with the diffraction efficiency for a semiconductor bulk sample with an optical interaction length of several mm operating under similar conditions. Thus, SIMQW become a ideal candidate to study the diffraction process in the Raman-Nath regime[2]. Here, we report two effects of the second order diffraction in a SIMQW sample under applied field: 1) the direct observation of a strong second order diffraction signal; 2) the intensity of the degenerate four wave mixing signal depends on the direction of applied field when the fringe spacing becomes large.
We have observed two-wave mixing in semi-insulating AlGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum well structures at wavelengths near the exciton absorption. The photorefractive index changes are caused by the Franz–Keldysh effect on quantum-confined excitons. Photorefractive gains larger than 200 cm−1 are obtained for the first time at wavelengths near 836 nm using stationary fringes and dc applied fields up to 5 kV/cm. The direction of energy transfer between the two beams is determined by the direction of applied electric field.
Photorefractive AlGaAs–GaAs multiple-quantum-well structures perform as ultrafast field autocorrelators during steady-state four-wave mixing by use of femtosecond pulses. The photorefractive thin films operate in the Raman–Nath diffraction regime with thin transmission gratings. The thin gratings permit degenerate and nondegenerate four-wave mixing without the need to satisfy phase-matching conditions. Nondegenerate mixing has several advantages over degenerate four-wave mixing. The autocorrelation is broadband and is viable for photon energies larger than the band gap of the photorefractive sample, and the diffraction efficiency is unaffected by the bandwidth of the femtosecond pulses. In addition, the readout laser can be a low-power low-cost cw diode laser.
The photorefractive properties of semi-insulating AlGaAs–GaAs multiple quantum wells are described for the transverse Franz–Keldysh geometry with the electric field in the plane of the quantum wells. Combining the strong electroabsorption of quantum-confined excitons with the high resistivity of semi-insulating quantum wells yields large nonlinear optical sensitivities. The photorefractive quantum wells have effective nonlinear optical sensitivities of n2 ≈ 103 cm2/W and α2/α0 ≈ 104 cm2/W for applied fields of 10 kV/cm. Photorefractive gains approaching 1000 cm−1 have been observed in two-wave mixing under dc electric fields and stationary fringes. The transverse Franz–Keldysh geometry retains the general transport properties and behavior of conventional bulk photorefractive materials. The resonant excitation of free electrons and holes in the quantum wells leads to novel behavior associated with electron–hole competition. We demonstrate that under resonant excitation of electrons and holes the device resolution is fundamentally limited by diffusion lengths but is insensitive to long drift lengths.
Coherently controlled four-wave-mixing (FWM) measurements have turned out to be a very sensitive tool to investigate the microscopic origin of the nonlinear optical response of semiconductor quantum-well structures, in particular if excitons are excited [1-3]. The measured signal oscillates as a function of the phase difference of the two interferometric pulses and is modulated additionally by contributions that oscillate with integer multiples of the excitonic resonance frequency. The influence of these harmonics can be measured in background free directions, i.e., the first (FWM) or second (six-wave mixing, SWM) diffracted order in direction 2k2-k1 or 3k2-2k1, respectively. Their intensity is easily quantified by inspecting the corresponding Fourier transforms (FT). Here, we report on transient interferometric SWM measurements and the influence of biexcitons on the signal.
Semiconductor multiple quantum well structures exhibit very large, room temperature, nonlinear refractive effects associated with resolvable excitonic features [1]. These nonlinearities may find use in all-optical devices if sufficient refractive index change can be achieved before the exciton completely saturates [2]. A unique aspect of band gap resonant optical, nonlinearities in quantum wells is the spatial confinement of the generated carriers within the layers. We have exploited the excitonic refractive nonlinearity in GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum wells in two separate degenerate four wave mixing configurations. These compare the intra-well and cross-well contributions to highly anisotropic carrier diffusion and also allow measurement of carrier relaxation rates and the saturation of the excitonic nonlinear refraction with increasing intensity.
An interaction between optical signal guided in a photorefractive multiple quantum well planar waveguide and two external waves is considered. The external waves create a refractive index grating in the waveguide core which can be applied for frequency selective switching of guided signals. The influence of free carriers generated by the signal wave on the stability of photorefractive grating is analyzed. Full Text: PDF References D.D. Nolte, "Semi-insulating semiconductor heterostructures: Optoelectronic properties and applications", [CrossRef] M. Wichtowski, A. Ziółkowski, E. Weinert-Rączka, "A general approach to the space–charge field solution in photorefractive materials in a TWM geometry", J. Opt. 12, 065201 (2010) [CrossRef] E. Weinert-Rączka, M. Wichtowski, A. Ziółkowski, G. Staroń, "Photorefractive Grating in Multiple Quantum Well Planar Waveguide", Acta Phys. Pol. A 103, 229 (2003) A. Ziółkowski, E. Weinert-Rączka, "Dark screening solitons in multiple quantum well planar waveguide", [CrossRef] A. Ziółkowski, "Temporal analysis of solitons in photorefractive semiconductors", J. Opt. 14, 035202 (2012) [CrossRef] M. Wichtowski, E. Weinert-Rączka, "Photorefractive Multiple Quantum Well Waveguide as a Bragg Reflector ", Acta Physica Polonica A 103, 239 (2003) Q. Wang, R. M. Brubaker, D. D. Nolte and M. R. Melloch, "Photorefractive quantum wells: transverse Franz—Keldysh geometry", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 9, 1626 (1992) [CrossRef] D. D. Nolte, D. H. Olson, G. E. Doran, W. H. Knox, A. M. Glass, "Resonant photodiffractive effect in semi-insulating multiple quantum wells", A.M. Glass. J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 7, 2217 (1990) [CrossRef] D.D. Nolte, M. R. Melloch : In: Photorectractive effects and Materials, ed. by D. D. Nolte (Kluwer, Dordrecht 1995) L. F. Magaňa, F. Agulló-López and M. Carrascosa, "Role of physical parameters on the photorefractive performance of semiconductor multiple quantum wells", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 11, 1651 (1994) [CrossRef] Q. Wang, R. M. Brubaker, D. D. Nolte, "Photorefractive phase shift induced by hot-electron transport: multiple-quantum-well structures", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 9, 1773 (1994) [CrossRef] P. Vaveliuk, B. Ruiz, N. Bolognini, "Analysis of the steady-state photorefractive harmonic gratings", Phys. Rev. B, 59, 10985 (1999) [CrossRef] D. S. Chemla, D. A. B. Miller, P. W. Smith, A. C. Gossard, W. Wiegmann, "Room temperature excitonic nonlinear absorption and refraction in GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well structures", IEEE J. Quantum. Electron. 20, 265 (1984) [CrossRef] D.D. Nolte, Q. Wang, "Robust infrared gratings in photorefractive quantum wells generated by an above-band-gap laser", Appl. Phys Lett. 58, 2067 (1991) [CrossRef]