Polarisation effects on the nonlinear optical characteristics of a 1.55 μm vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier |
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Authors: | Hurtado A. Henning I.D. Adams M.J. |
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Affiliation: | Dept. of Electron. Syst. Eng., Univ. of Essex, Colchester; |
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Abstract: | The effect of polarisation on the nonlinear optical properties of a 1550 nm vertical- cavity semiconductor optical amplifier (VCSOA) subjected to external optical injection into the two orthogonal polarisations of the fundamental mode has been studied experimentally. Clockwise nonlinear switching with very high on-off contrast ratio between the output states, exceeding 50:1, is reported. It is also shown that the use of polarised light gives a reduction to only some tens of microwatts of the input power requirements needed for clockwise nonlinear switching with high on-off contrast ratio. This represents at least one order of magnitude decrease in comparison with previously reported results either in VCSOAs or in edge-emitting devices. These results offer promise for the potential use of VCSOAs for all-optical signal processing as well as for optical interconnects and all-optical switching/routing applications. |
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