© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

Terms Privacy Legal Notice

IEE Proceedings J Optoelectronics

Time dependent analysis of active and passive optical bistability in semiconductors

M.J. Adams

Published Jan 1, 1985• 45 citations

Abstract

A time-dependent theory of optical bistability is developed and applied to laser amplifiers and passive semiconductor etalons. Results of the theory show an output intensity spike in switch-up which occurs after a time delay determined largely by the carrier recombination time, and before which the transition is unstable. Although for passive etalons the spike is rather broad (of order 1 ns for parameters appropriate to GaAs at 0.85 μm or InGaAsP at 1.55 μm) and of low amplitude, for amplifiers it is roughly an order of magnitude narrower and higher in amplitude. As a consequence, it is predicted that clock speeds for semiconductor bistable switching elements will be limited to rates commensurate with the carrier recombination time, not only for switch-down operations (as already well known) but also for switch-up operations.

DOI: 10.1049/ip-j.1985.0065

Related papers

Optical Bistability in 1.55 μm Semiconductor Laser Amplifiers

M.J. Adams, H.J. Westlake, M.J. O’Mahony

Dispersive bistability arising from the carrier-dependence of the refractive index has been observed in semiconductor lasers operated just below threshold with a small injected optical signal. The minimum optical input required for switch-up is as low as 1 μW for InGaAsP amplifiers at 1.55 μm(1) and 1.3 μm(2) (cf 30 μW for GaAs devices(3)). As yet, reliable measurements of the dynamic response are not (4) available, although we predict recovery times to be on the order of carrier lifetimes, ie a few nanoseconds at room temperature. This contribution will review our experimental and theoretical work on 1.55 μm amplifier bistability and set it in the context of other semiconductor bistable optical devices.

Topical Meeting on Optical Bistability (OB)•Jan 1, 1985•0 citations

Optical bistability in distributed feedback semiconductor laser amplifiers

M.J. Adams, Richard R. Wyatt

New theoretical and experimental results are presented for optical bistability in distributed feedback amplifiers at 1.5 μm. The onset of bistability occurs at input powers as low as 1 μW, a factor of about 1000 times less than the input predicted for passive DFB structures. The transient response exhibits a large spike as the amplifier goes through a resonance, in good agreement with the theoretical prediction.

IEE Proceedings J Optoelectronics•Jan 1, 1987•37 citations

Optical bistability in InGaAsP amplifiers and implications for passive devices

Wayne F. Sharfin, M. Dagenais

We demonstrate optically bistable (light switching light) operation in a room-temperature InGaAsP Fabry-Perot amplifier. The amplifier is an InGaAsP/InP laser structure biased at ~95% of its lasing threshold. It is switched with <3 μW of optical power provided by the mechanically chopped output of a quasi-single-mode InGaAsP/InP laser. The experimental apparatus is depicted in Fig, 1. A change in the refractive Index in the amplifier of only 5 × 10−4 is sufficient to cause switching. Input and output pulses from the nonlinear amplifier are shown in Fig. 2 when the source frequency is initially detuned by 14 GHz from the closest Fabry-Perot mode of the amplifier. Smaller switching powers are required at lesser detunings. The physical mechanism of the intensity-dependent change of the refractive index is thought to be the change in carrier density resulting from stimulated recombination of free carriers.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 1985•0 citations

Bistable Optoelectronic Devices

John Gerard McInerney

We present a review of optical bistability in active and passive optoelectronic devices, with particular reference to switching speeds and powers. The large resonant nonlinearities available near the bandgaps of semiconductors may be utilized to develop bistable devices operating at low powers and high speeds. Passive devices are driven by external optical sources and include nonlinear etalons, nonlinear interfaces, self-focusing configurations and electro-optic modulators with electrical feedback. Active devices include injection lasers and superluminescent amplifiers. Potential advantages of active devices include speed, gain, sensitivity and the ability to drive other devices, but complexity and high power dissipation may limit their use in applications requiring high density.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Jan 1, 1987•4 citations

Optical bistability in active distributed—feedback structures: an experimental and theoretical study

Richard R. Wyatt, Mike J. Adams

Optical bistability in active semiconductor devices has attracted considerable interest recently due to the possibility of combining microwatt switching powers with nanosecond switching times. We present experimental and theoretical results of optical bistability in a distributed-feedback (DFB) laser amplifier operating in reflection at 1.5 μm; switch-on delay followed by a sharp transient overshoot is predicted and observed. Minimum switching energies are in the femtojoule region.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 1986•4 citations

Dynamic Optical Bistability in A Semiconductor Doped Glass Etalon

Chunfei Li, Yinglin Song, Zha Zizhong +1 more

In the past decade, experimental results of transient optical bistabilities in etalons of CdSxSe1-x doped glasses have been presented by many authors[1-3]. Switching speed of ns to ps orders has been obtained. However, there still do not exist a dynamics theory of this transient optical bistability. This paper emphasizes the dependence of the implementation of transient optical bistabilities on the incident pulse width, the media response time, the FP cavity establishing time, and also, the influence of the incident pulse width on the switching speed.

Nonlinear Dynamics in Optical Systems•Jan 1, 1992•0 citations

A time-dependent theory of optical bistability is developed and applied to laser amplifiers and passive semiconductor etalons. Results of the theory show an output intensity spike in switch-up which occurs after a time delay determined largely by the carrier recombination time, and before which the transition is unstable. Although for passive etalons the spike is rather broad (of order 1 ns for parameters appropriate to GaAs at 0.85 μm or InGaAsP at 1.55 μm) and of low amplitude, for amplifiers it is roughly an order of magnitude narrower and higher in amplitude. As a consequence, it is predicted that clock speeds for semiconductor bistable switching elements will be limited to rates commensurate with the carrier recombination time, not only for switch-down operations (as already well known) but also for switch-up operations.

Dispersive bistability arising from the carrier-dependence of the refractive index has been observed in semiconductor lasers operated just below threshold with a small injected optical signal. The minimum optical input required for switch-up is as low as 1 μW for InGaAsP amplifiers at 1.55 μm(1) and 1.3 μm(2) (cf 30 μW for GaAs devices(3)). As yet, reliable measurements of the dynamic response are not (4) available, although we predict recovery times to be on the order of carrier lifetimes, ie a few nanoseconds at room temperature. This contribution will review our experimental and theoretical work on 1.55 μm amplifier bistability and set it in the context of other semiconductor bistable optical devices.

We demonstrate optically bistable (light switching light) operation in a room-temperature InGaAsP Fabry-Perot amplifier. The amplifier is an InGaAsP/InP laser structure biased at ~95% of its lasing threshold. It is switched with <3 μW of optical power provided by the mechanically chopped output of a quasi-single-mode InGaAsP/InP laser. The experimental apparatus is depicted in Fig, 1. A change in the refractive Index in the amplifier of only 5 × 10−4 is sufficient to cause switching. Input and output pulses from the nonlinear amplifier are shown in Fig. 2 when the source frequency is initially detuned by 14 GHz from the closest Fabry-Perot mode of the amplifier. Smaller switching powers are required at lesser detunings. The physical mechanism of the intensity-dependent change of the refractive index is thought to be the change in carrier density resulting from stimulated recombination of free carriers.

We present a review of optical bistability in active and passive optoelectronic devices, with particular reference to switching speeds and powers. The large resonant nonlinearities available near the bandgaps of semiconductors may be utilized to develop bistable devices operating at low powers and high speeds. Passive devices are driven by external optical sources and include nonlinear etalons, nonlinear interfaces, self-focusing configurations and electro-optic modulators with electrical feedback. Active devices include injection lasers and superluminescent amplifiers. Potential advantages of active devices include speed, gain, sensitivity and the ability to drive other devices, but complexity and high power dissipation may limit their use in applications requiring high density.

In the past decade, experimental results of transient optical bistabilities in etalons of CdSxSe1-x doped glasses have been presented by many authors[1-3]. Switching speed of ns to ps orders has been obtained. However, there still do not exist a dynamics theory of this transient optical bistability. This paper emphasizes the dependence of the implementation of transient optical bistabilities on the incident pulse width, the media response time, the FP cavity establishing time, and also, the influence of the incident pulse width on the switching speed.