Topical Meeting on Optical Bistability (OB)
Room-Temperature Thermal Optical Bistability in Thin-Film Interference Filters and Dye-Filled Etalons
Michael C. Rushford, Doreen A. Weinberger, H. M. Gibbs, C.F. Li, Nasser N. Peyghambarian
Abstract
Passive optical bistability in semiconductors was first seen in an interference filter with an intermediate layer of ZnS one-wavelength thick, and implied switch-on time of 200 μs.1 Thin-film interference filters may be potential practical bistable devices due to their room-temperature operation, extreme thinness, ease of production, and low-power operation.