Title :
Lightwave switching in semiconductor microring devices by free carrier injection
Author :
Ibrahim, Tarek A. ; Cao, W. ; Kim, Y. ; Li, J. ; Goldhar, J. ; Ho, P.-T. ; Lee, Chi H.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Abstract :
Using a conventional microwave photonic technique, we demonstrate lightwave switching in laterally coupled GaAs-AlGaAs microring resonators by free carrier injection. The ring waveguide is optically pumped just above its bandgap energy, which results in a temporal tuning of the microring resonant wavelengths by the refractive index change due to the induced free carriers. Both the transmission and the phase function of the resonators are investigated and used to demonstrate all-optical switching. The switching time, limited by surface recombination of carriers, is 20 ps. A switching energy of a few picojoules shifts the microring resonance by 1.2 nm.
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; aluminium compounds; carrier density; gallium arsenide; micro-optics; optical communication equipment; optical pumping; optical resonators; optical switches; optical tuning; optical waveguide components; refractive index; 20 ps; AlGaAs; GaAs; GaAs-AlGaAs; all-optical switching; bandgap energy; conventional microwave photonic technology; free carrier injection; induced free carriers; laterally coupled GaAs-AlGaAs microring resonators; lightwave switching; microresonators; microring resonance; microring resonant wavelengths; optical communication; optically pumping; phase function; refractive index change; ring waveguide; semiconductor microring devices; single photon absorption; surface carrier recombination; switching energy; switching time; temporal tuning; transmission function; Microwave devices; Microwave theory and techniques; Optical coupling; Optical pumping; Optical refraction; Optical resonators; Optical waveguides; Resonance; Semiconductor waveguides; Waveguide transitions;
Journal_Title :
Lightwave Technology, Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JLT.2003.819800
