Title :
High Switching-Speed Operation of Optical Memory Based on Polarization Bistable Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser
Author :
Sakaguchi, Jun ; Katayama, Takeo ; Kawaguchi, Hitoshi
Author_Institution :
Grad. Sch. of Mater. Sci., Nara Inst. of Sci. & Technol., Nara, Japan
Abstract :
Operation conditions of all-optical buffer memories based on polarization bistable vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) were investigated. The switching power dependence on the frequency detuning of the input optical signal was measured for a 980-nm polarization bistable VCSEL. The proper operating conditions for 10-Gb/s memory operation were also measured and found to be on the negative detuning side. Calculations based on a two-mode rate-equation model successfully explained the measured characteristics of the switching power dependence on the frequency detuning and the operating conditions. Maximum data rates for the memory operation strongly depended on the Q factor (i.e., photon lifetime) of the VCSELs. A possibility of 40-Gb/s memory operation using a polarization bistable VCSEL with a Q factor as low as 500 was shown.
Keywords :
light polarisation; optical storage; optical switches; surface emitting lasers; Q factor; VCSEL; all-optical buffer memories; bit rate 10 Gbit/s; bit rate 40 Gbit/s; frequency detuning; high switching-speed operation; optical memory; optical signal; photon lifetime; polarization bistable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser; two-mode rate-equation model; wavelength 980 nm; Cavity resonators; Optical bistability; Optical buffering; Optical polarization; Optical pulses; Optical switches; Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers; All-optical signal processing; optical bistability; optical buffer memory; vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JQE.2010.2052590
