Novel hybrid optically bistable switch: The quantum well self-electro-optic effect device
- 1 July 1984
- journal article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 45 (1) , 13-15
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.94985
Abstract
We report a new type of optoelectronic device, a self-electro-optic effect device (SEED), which uses the same GaAs/GaAlAs multiple quantum well material simultaneously as an optical detector and modulator. Using a series resistor and constant voltage bias supply the SEED shows optical bistabilty (OB) of the recently discovered type which relies on increasing absorption and requires no mirrors. OB is seen at room temperature from ∼850–860 nm, at powers as low as 670 nW or switching times as short as 400 ns (limited only by power restrictions) with ∼1-nJ optical switching energy in a 600-μm-diam device. Total energies per unit area (∼18 fJ/μm2) are substantially lower than any previously reported for OB.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Optical bistability due to increasing absorptionOptics Letters, 1984
- Room temperature excitonic nonlinear absorption and refraction in GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well structuresIEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 1984
- On the Physical Limits of Digital Optical Switching and Logic ElementsBell System Technical Journal, 1982
- Band-Gap—Resonant Nonlinear Refraction in III-V SemiconductorsPhysical Review Letters, 1981
- Optical bistable system responding in pico-secondSolid State Communications, 1981
- Saturation of the free exciton resonance in GaAsSolid State Communications, 1979
- Transient response of hybrid bistable optical devicesApplied Physics Letters, 1979
- Self-contained integrated bistable optical devicesApplied Physics Letters, 1979
- Incoherent mirrorless bistable optical devicesApplied Physics Letters, 1978
- A bistable Fabry-Perot resonatorApplied Physics Letters, 1977