Optical bistability and switching by nonlinear waveguiding in semiconductor lasers and laser amplifiers

John Gerard McInerney; Yuan Li; Theodore C. Salvi; Daniel Michael Heffernan

doi:10.1117/12.21676

1 October 1990 Optical bistability and switching by nonlinear waveguiding in semiconductor lasers and laser amplifiers

John Gerard McInerney, Yuan Li, Theodore C. Salvi, Daniel Michael Heffernan

Proceedings Volume 1307, Electro-Optical Materials for Switches, Coatings, Sensor Optics, and Detectors; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.21676
Event: 1990 Technical Symposium on Optics, Electro-Optics, and Sensors, 1990, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

Two schemes for sub-nanosecond bistable switching using nonlinear waveguiding in coupled semiconductor lasers are described and analyzed. Using longitudinally coupled lasers in an external cavity gives rise to photon lifetime limited switching, but the system is cumbersome and susceptible to low-frequency self-pulsations and noise. Laterally coupled twin stripe lasers offer a monolithically integrated alternative, in which switching times are limited by carrier diffusion.

Citation Download Citation

John Gerard McInerney, Yuan Li, Theodore C. Salvi, and Daniel Michael Heffernan "Optical bistability and switching by nonlinear waveguiding in semiconductor lasers and laser amplifiers", Proc. SPIE 1307, Electro-Optical Materials for Switches, Coatings, Sensor Optics, and Detectors, (1 October 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.21676

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