Optical bistability of In 0.52 Al 0.48 As/InPtype II multi-quantum well diodes

Abstract
Optical bistability was observed in the current-light output (I-L) characteristic of an InAlAs/InP type II multi-quantum well (MQW) diode for the first time. With bistability, light output suddenly increases at 70 mA when the current increases; it suddenly decreases at 30 mA when the current decreases. We found that the bistability of the I-L characteristic corresponds exactly to the bistability of the current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of the InAlAs/InP MQW diode.