Title :
A simplified analysis of the optical bistability of multiple quantum well etalons
Author_Institution :
MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
fDate :
6/1/1989 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
An analysis of static room-temperature-operation characteristics of a reflection-mode semiconductor multiple-quantum well etalon by a simplified two-level system formula of optical nonlinear properties and a computer simulation is presented. In the calculation for a GaAs/AlGaAs multiple-quantum-well etalon using the parameters reported in experimental measurement, it is shown that the very large excitonic optical nonlinearity is not effectively utilized for the optical bistable operation. This occurs because the effective positive-feedback mechanism which increases the etalon internal light intensity is suppressed when a hardly saturable background interband absorption tail is larger than a few thousand cm-1 at a wavelength where the large excitonic dispersive nonlinearity is observed
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; aluminium compounds; gallium arsenide; light interferometers; optical bistability; semiconductor quantum wells; GaAs-AlGaAs; computer simulation; excitonic dispersive nonlinearity; interband absorption tail; internal light intensity; multiple quantum well etalons; optical bistability; optical nonlinear properties; positive-feedback mechanism; static room-temperature-operation characteristics; two-level system formula; Absorption; Computer simulation; Dispersion; Excitons; Gallium arsenide; Nonlinear optics; Optical bistability; Optical feedback; Optical films; Optical refraction; Optical saturation; Optical sensors; Quantum well devices; Tail;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
