Power and length requirements for all-optical switching in semiconductor-doped glass waveguides

Derek T. Mayweather; Michel J. F. Digonnet; Richard H. Pantell; H. John Shaw

doi:10.1117/12.188703

3 October 1994 Power and length requirements for all-optical switching in semiconductor-doped glass waveguides

Derek T. Mayweather, Michel J. F. Digonnet, Richard H. Pantell, H. John Shaw

Proceedings Volume 2289, Doped Fiber Devices and Systems; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.188703
Event: SPIE's 1994 International Symposium on Optics, Imaging, and Instrumentation, 1994, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

We present a theoretical model that computes the nonlinear index (n₂) of semiconductor- doped glasses (SDG), based on the material's properties, and predicts the power and length requirements, as well as the optimum operating wavelengths, for an all-optical SDG waveguide switch. The main conclusions are that (1) n₂ depends strongly on pump intensity, which partly explains the large disparity in reported values of n₂, (2) the pump and signal wavelengths should be in specific and different ranges to minimize switching power and signal loss, (3) for CdSSe- and CdTe-doped glasses, n₂ is relatively small, and the switching power requirement for these two SDGs is consequently quite high (2 - 16 W). We provide evidence that this weak nonlinearity, compared to that of similar semiconductors in bulk, is due to the strong nonradiative recombination of carriers arising from the small size of the semiconductor microcrystallites. Projections indicate that the switching power would be reduced by up to three orders of magnitude by increasing the microcrystallite size, thus producing a slower (ns) but more power-efficient switch.

Citation Download Citation

Derek T. Mayweather, Michel J. F. Digonnet, Richard H. Pantell, and H. John Shaw "Power and length requirements for all-optical switching in semiconductor-doped glass waveguides", Proc. SPIE 2289, Doped Fiber Devices and Systems, (3 October 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.188703

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available