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Frontiers in Optics

Many-particle theory of all-optical polarization switching in semiconductor quantum wells

I. Rumyantsev, N. H. Kwong, Rolf H. Binder, Eric J. Gansen, Arthur L. Smirl

Published Jan 1, 2003• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Semiconductor quantum wells exhibit numerous nonlinear optical effects that are potentially useful in electro-optical or all-optical devices. In general, the underlying physical mechanisms are complex many-particle processes and can be viewed as interesting research subjects in their own right. One example of such a device is the all-optical polarization switch that has been demonstrated [1]. In that device, conventional (i.e. non-strained) GaAs quantum wells are used in conjunction with two polarizers to switch the throughput of a weak probe pulse with a strong pump pulse. The switching is due to an effective polarization rotation of the probe light by the pump light. The basic idea underlying this effective polarization rotation can be based on a simplified picture of two spin-degenerate heavy-hole exciton transitions. A linearly polarized probe pulse, which consists of right ("+") and left ("-") circularly polarized components, would not undergo polarization rotation, because it couples to both transitions in the same way. If, however, a circularly polarized pump beam modifies, for example, the transition frequency of the "+" transition, the absorption of the "+" component of the probe light differs from that of the "-" component. This leads to an effective polarization rotation.

DOI
10.1364/fio.2003.thmm2

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Semiconductor quantum wells exhibit numerous nonlinear optical effects that are potentially useful in electro-optical or all-optical devices. In general, the underlying physical mechanisms are complex many-particle processes and can be viewed as interesting research subjects in their own right. One example of such a device is the all-optical polarization switch that has been demonstrated [1]. In that device, conventional (i.e. non-strained) GaAs quantum wells are used in conjunction with two polarizers to switch the throughput of a weak probe pulse with a strong pump pulse. The switching is due to an effective polarization rotation of the probe light by the pump light. The basic idea underlying this effective polarization rotation can be based on a simplified picture of two spin-degenerate heavy-hole exciton transitions. A linearly polarized probe pulse, which consists of right ("+") and left ("-") circularly polarized components, would not undergo polarization rotation, because it couples to both transitions in the same way. If, however, a circularly polarized pump beam modifies, for example, the transition frequency of the "+" transition, the absorption of the "+" component of the probe light differs from that of the "-" component. This leads to an effective polarization rotation.
This dissertation addresses both fundamental aspects of Coulomb correlations in semiconductor quantum wells and more practical aspects of theoretical analysis of semiconductor optoelectronic devices. After introducing the subject, we present and evaluate a state-of-the-art theory of the third order coherent optical response of a semiconductor quantum well based on the Dynamics Controlled Truncation (DCT) scheme. Already in the third order (the so-called chi (3)) regime, semiconductors exhibit a number of many-body Coulomb correlation effects. Their manifestation in various multi-pulse experimental configurations, customarily used in ultrafast semiconductor spectroscopy, has been an important component of this thesis. Coherent optical effects in a semiconductor 3-band system based on the heavy-hole, light-hole and conduction bands were investigated. The quantum beats in the time-integrated differential transmission signal were analyzed and compared with experimental data obtained at the University of Iowa. Fundamental differences from corresponding quantum beats in atomic 3-level systems were found. Also, the analysis of experimental data (obtained at the University of Arizona) of the coupled heavy-hole-light-hole optical Stark shift revealed evidence of intervalence band coherences, an analog of Raman coherences in atomic 3-levels systems. A scheme for realization of electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) based on the interference of excitonic and biexcitonic coherences was proposed. Corresponding experiments performed at the University of Oregon showed indeed a considerable coherent reduction of excitonic absorption. Furthermore, an extension of the chi(3) analysis revealed an energy renormalization of the biexciton, in good agreement with the corresponding experiment. A microscopic analysis of polarization dynamics in time-resolved four-wave mixing signals was performed, revealing interesting implications for the biexciton dephasing in addition to the significance of many-body correlations. In the case of four-wave mixing in semiconductor microcavities, our theoretical analysis in conjunction with experimental data obtained at the University of Tokyo gave us indications for a significant shortcoming of the second Born approximation (2nd BA) applied to two-exciton Coulomb correlations in a thin semiconductor quantum well, in agreement with the general knowledge of the qualitative failure of the 2nd BA in systems with short-range interaction in two dimensions. We also analyzed a novel all-optical switching technique based on the nonlinear polarization rotation. Apart from identifying the many-particle processes relevant for the switch operation in the chi(3) regime, we proposed ways to further optimize the switch.
We report large polarization state rotations of a weak pulsed beam in CdTe/CdMnTe quantum wells photoinduced by intense circularly polarized pulsed pump beam. Time-resolved analysis of the effect shows that, at moderate pump fluences, the polarization state rotation is due to the combined effect of many-body interactions and spectral hole burning at early times and to photoinduced magnetization at longer ones. At higher pump fluences, space filling and degenerate four-wave mixing become important. At low pump fluences (few μJ/cm2) already the polarization rotation photoinduced at early times can be as large as a few degrees making these multiple quantum wells potential candidates for applications.
The polarization rotation of a linearly polarized optical (probe) field caused by a left-circularly polarized pumping beam is studied in an opened two-level system of a 87 Rb atom. Letting a linearly polarized optical field (probe) and left-circularly polarized pumping beams co-propagate through a Rb vapor, we observe the featurable polarization rotation signals of the linearly polarized probe field via the asymmetric optical pumping with low intensities. Based on this phenomenon, a polarization-controlled light switching can be demonstrated at a low light level. Such a scheme of polarization rotation can be extended in a solid or semi-conduct material and find a practical application in all-optical information processing.
The coherent optical response of semiconductor quantum wells is studied theoretically using the multiband semiconductor Bloch equations which include coupling of the heavy- and light-hole bands as well as many-body Coulomb effects. For the case of a two-pulse excitation scheme it is shown how the different rotational symmetries of heavy- and light-hole bands induce a strong polarization dependence of the signal in the photon echo direction. The selection rules are based on the Kane-Luttinger theory while the transition amplitudes are obtained by numerically solving the multiband semiconductor Bloch equations. In addition, the influence of valence-band mixing effects on the optical Stark effect is demonstrated.
我们报道了一种全新的全光开关，该光开关是在半导体多量子阱中基于激子和双激子能级形成的EIT效应，利用量子相干相消效应来减小材料对探测光场的吸收，且探测光场吸收的强度可以通过控制光场来调节。若将控制光场设置为脉冲光场，则可以实现探测光场的开关调制，通过选取适当的控制光场的强度，可以得到约86%的开关效率。  We report a new all-optical switching. The all-optical switching is based on EIT effect of semiconductor multiple quantum wells exciton energy levels, the use of quantum coherence effects can reduce the absorption of the probe light field, and the intensity of the absorption for the probe light field can be adjusted by the control light field. If the control light field is pulse light field, the all-optical switching can be performed. We can select the appropriate intensity of control light field; the efficiency of switching can reach at almost 86%.
The nonlinear optical responses of a strongly coupled exciton-photon system in a semiconductor microcavity structure under weak excitation can be explained by a weak exciton-exciton interaction due to the nonideal bosonic (weakly interacting bosons) nature of the excitons. The exciton-exciton interaction leads to an attractive interaction between excitons with opposite spin, and a repulsive interaction between excitons with the same spin and a phase space filling. Earlier, we have reported the ratio of these interaction energies from the polarization-sensitive degenerate four-wave mixing on a strongly coupled GaAs quantum well (QW) microcavity under weak excitation density. In order to quantitatively determine the exciton-exciton polarization interaction energy, we have proposed a pump-probe nonlinear polarization rotation scheme. In the paper, we report the quantitative measurement of the exciton-exciton polarization interaction energy in the above mentioned system under strict weak excitation density using the pump-probe nonlinear polarization rotation (PR) technique. In the technique, the change of polarization state of a weak linearly polarized probe due to the anisotropy induced by a strong, circularly polarized pump is monitored in reflection geometry.