Semiconductor devices for photonic switching

Abstract

The concept of all optical networks and the motivations for investigating them are briefly mentioned. Photonic switching is specifically considered and reasons for carrying out research on semiconductor based materials and devices for the implementation of optical switching functions are given. Afterwards the main physical properties that may find applications in photonic devices made of semiconductor materials are reviewed, with emphasis on QW structures and the associated important phenomena of Quantum Confined Stark Effect and Optical Stark Effect. The state of the art is then presented regarding the various devices needed in a photonic switching node: space/time switches and switching matrices (both of the electro‐optical and opto‐optical type), frequency switches, frequency converters and filters, digital memory elements made by optical bistable devices, logic optical devices.

Power self-regulation in double-pass high-gain laser amplifiers

“…Thus the underlying optical interactions have been considered to occur in dyes and polymers, 2-11 liquid crystals, [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] inorganic nonlinear optical media, [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] and semiconductors. [29][30][31][32][33][34][35] Besides their basic transmission interactions, some opto-optical systems have included gratings, interferometers, and lasers. These systems have served to modulate the amplitude, phase, and direction of a propagating beam; and they have also been employed for a variety of optical switching and logic functions.…”