Room-temperature all-optical switching has been achieved in single-mode strip-loaded nonlinear directional couplers with a GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well guiding layer. For low input intensities nearly complete (1:3–1:5) cross coupling occurs, while at high input intensities switching occurs so that most (>3:1) of the light stays in the input guide. The effects of carrier diffusion are minimized by the use of picosecond pulses. The response time and the recovery time of the nonlinear directional couplers are measured with pump-probe experiments, and the origin of the nonlinearity is attributed to fast electronic effects.

All-optical modulation is observed at room temperature in a GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well nonlinear directional coupler using femtosecond pulses. The origin of the ultrafast (<500 fs) recovery of the device is attributed to the optical Stark effect.

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