Excitonic Versus Thermal Contribution To All-Optical Switching In A Nonlinear Multiple Quantum Well Directional Coupler Fabricated In GaAs.

M. Cada; B. P. Keyworth; J. M. Glinski; A. J. SpringThorpe; P. Mandeville

doi:10.1117/12.949989

8 March 1989 Excitonic Versus Thermal Contribution To All-Optical Switching In A Nonlinear Multiple Quantum Well Directional Coupler Fabricated In GaAs.

M. Cada, B. P. Keyworth, J. M. Glinski, A. J. SpringThorpe, P. Mandeville

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 1017, Nonlinear Optical Materials; (1989) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.949989
Event: 1988 International Congress on Optical Science and Engineering, 1988, Hamburg, Germany

Abstract

In previous works we have demonstrated that the MQW-coupled directional coupler is a promising design for all-optical switching elements. Experimental analysis has revealed that an efficient intensity-dependent coupling can be achieved between the two waveguides for a sample length as short as 127 μm. However, due to the presence of two competing nonlinearities, namely excitonic and thermal, there is some concern over the nature of the switching. W e report here on results which support our claim that the dominant mechanism in this case, where we are operating at low powers near the heavy-hole resonance peak, is the faster excitonic nonlinearity.

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M. Cada, B. P. Keyworth, J. M. Glinski, A. J. SpringThorpe, and P. Mandeville "Excitonic Versus Thermal Contribution To All-Optical Switching In A Nonlinear Multiple Quantum Well Directional Coupler Fabricated In GaAs.", Proc. SPIE 1017, Nonlinear Optical Materials, (8 March 1989); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.949989

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