ISSN:
1077-3118
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
We report the observation of two photon absorption which is strongly dependent on the applied electric field and the optical polarization. At 1.55 μm wavelength, the two-photon absorption coefficient of the GaAs/AlGaAs multiquantum well (MQW) waveguides for transverse-magnetic light is about seven times lower than for transverse-electric polarized light and changes by a factor of approximately 4 for a change in applied direct-current electric field of ∼140 kV/cm. Ultrafast nonlinear refraction causing phase changes of over π radians without appreciable excess loss is observed. These measurements demonstrate that GaAs/AlGaAs MQW waveguides could be successfully used for subpicosecond all-optical switching near half-band gap, at wavelengths corresponding to the 1.55 μm optical communications band.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.105700