The Quantum Well Self-Electrooptic Effect Device: Optoelectronic Bistability and Oscillation, and Self-Linearized Modulation

IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics

Volumn 21, Issue 9, 1985, Pages 1462-1476

  Miller, David A B ^a   Chemla, Daniel S ^a   Damen, Theodore C ^a   Wood, Thomas H ^a   Burrus, Charles A ^a   Gossard, Arthur C ^a   Wiegmann, William ^a  

^a LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ELECTROOPTICAL EFFECTS;

ELECTROOPTIC MATERIALS/DEVICES; OPTICAL BISTABILITY; OPTICAL MODULATION/DEMODULATION; OPTICAL OSCILLATORS;

ELECTROOPTICAL DEVICES;

EID: 0022115408     PISSN: 00189197     EISSN: 15581713     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1109/JQE.1985.1072821     Document Type: Article

References (24)

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2. D. A. B. Miller, D. S. Chemla, D. J. Eilenberger, P. W. Smith, A. C. Gossard, and W. T. Tsang, “Large room-temperature optical nonlinearity in GaAs/Ga 1-x Al x As multiple quantum well structures,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 41, pp. 679–681, 1982.
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5. D. S. Chemla, D. A. B. Miller, P. W. Smith, A. C. Gossard, and W. Wiegmann, “Room temperature excitonic nonlinear absorption and refraction in GaAs/A1GaAs multiple quantum well structures,” IEEE J, Quantum Electron., vol. QE-20, pp. 265–275, 1984.
6. D. S. Chemla and D. A. B. Miller, “Room-temperature excitonic nonlinear-optical effects in semiconductor quantum well structures,” J. Opt. Soc. Amer., vol. B2, pp. 1155–1173, 1985.
7. T. H. Wood, C. A. Burrus, D. A. B. Miller, D. S. Chemla, T. C. Damen, A. C. Gossard, and W. Wiegmann, “High-speed optical modulation with GaAs/GaAlAs quantum wells in a p-i-n diode structure,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 44, pp. 16-18, 1984.
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11. T. H. Wood, C. A. Burrus, D. A. B. Miller, D. S. Chemla, T. C. Damen, A. C. Gossard and W. Wiegmann, “131 ps optical modulation in semiconductor multiple quantum wells.” IEEE J. Quantum Electron., vol. QE-21, pp. 117–118. 1985.
12. D. A. B. Miller, D. S. Chermla, T. C. Damen, A. C. Gossard, W. Wiegmann, T. H. Wood, and C. A. Burrus, “Novel hybrid optically bistable switch: The quantum well self electrooptic effect device,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 45, pp. 13–15, 1984.
13. D. A. B. Miller, D. S. Chemla, T. C. Damen, T. H. Wood, C. A. Burrus, A. C. Gossard, and W. Wiegmann, “Optical level shifter and self-linearized optical modulator using a quantum-well self-electrooptic effect device,” Optics Lett., vol. 9, pp. 567–569, 1984.
14. Perhaps the closest precedent to the SEED devices is in the interesting work that has been performed on devices using the Franz-Keldysh effect in diodes [15]-[17]. One configuration utilizes the diode in a resonator; this has been considered both theoretically [15] and experimentally [16]. As in the SEED devices reported here, the modulator and photodiode are the same p-n junction. The Franz-Keldysh effect can however only usefully give an increase in absorption with increasing voltage; consequently, the mechanism of bistability from increasing absorption (with decreasing voltage) used in the SEED device (see Section III) is not available and instead a resonator is used as in conventional absorptive bistability to achieve bistability with decreasing absorption. The Franz-Keldysh bistability is therefore a hybrid implementation of conventional absorption bistability. Another configuration using the Franz-Nadysh effect, with an additional separate photodiode for detection and an external transistor to give the gain for bistability, has also recently been reported [17]. Because of the transistor, the cavity is not necessary, and, as in the SEED devices reported here. coherent light is no longer required.
15. B, S. Ryvkin, “Falling current-voltage characteristic and optical bistability of a resonator photocell in the Franz-Keldysh effect,” Soy, Phys. Semicond., vol. 15, pp. 796–798, 1981 (translation of Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn vol. 15, pp. 1380–1384, 1981.
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18. M. A. Lee, B. Easter, and H. A. Bell, Tunnel Diodes. London, England Chapman and Hall, 1967.
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20. D. A. B. Miller, “Optical bistability and differential gain resulting from absorption increasing with excitation,” J. Opt. Soc. Amer., vol. B1, pp. 857–864, 1984.
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24. D. E, Grant. and H. J. Kimble, “Transient response in absorption bistabiiity,” Optics Commun., vol. 44, pp. 415–420, 1983