Ultrashort pulse self-switching in coupled-semiconductor traveling-wave amplifiers

Author

Trillo, Stefano ; Wabnitz, Stefan ; Soto-Crespo, J.M. ; Wright, E.M.

Author_Institution

Fondazione Ugo Bordoni, Rome, Italy

Volume

27

Issue

3

fYear

1991

fDate

3/1/1991 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

410

Lastpage

415

Abstract

A study is made of the self-switching of picosecond pulses using an active nonlinear directional coupler formed by two semiconductor laser amplifiers. Self-phase modulation associated with gain saturation permits all-optical control of output pulses emerging from the amplifiers, but switching from the cross state to the bar state is limited to 50% of the output energy. The amplified output pulses may be switched with little temporal distortion while considerable red shift in the output pulse spectra may occur

Keywords

directional couplers; high-speed optical techniques; integrated optoelectronics; optical couplers; optical modulation; semiconductor junction lasers; active nonlinear directional coupler; all-optical control; amplified output pulses; bar state; coupled-semiconductor traveling-wave amplifiers; cross state; gain saturation; output energy; output pulse spectra; picosecond pulses; red shift; temporal distortion; ultrashort pulse self-switching; Directional couplers; Nonlinear optics; Optical coupling; Optical pulses; Optical pumping; Optical saturation; Power semiconductor switches; Pulse amplifiers; Semiconductor optical amplifiers; Ultrafast optics;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9197

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/3.81339

Filename

81339