Optically induced switching in CdZnTe

Author

Pietralunga, S.M. ; Zappettini, A. ; Milani, A. ; Cerati, L. ; Martinelli, M.

Author_Institution

Consorzio Ricerche Elaborazione Commutazione Ottica Milano, Milan, Italy

Volume

12

Issue

8

fYear

2000

Firstpage

1037

Lastpage

1039

Abstract

All-optical switching performances of the semiconductor ternary alloy CdZnTe have been characterized, operating on a signal at /spl lambda/=1.5 μm. The physical switching mechanism exploits both the electrooptic effect and near-infrared photoconductivity. The use of CdZnTe improves the recovery time constant by six orders of magnitude when compared to previously tested CdTe-based modules. Control fluences of less than 0.02 nJ/μm² and extinction ratios as high as 23 dB have been demonstrated when operating in the nanosecond temporal regime.

Keywords

II-VI semiconductors; cadmium compounds; electro-optical switches; optical communication equipment; optical switches; photoconductivity; zinc compounds; 1.5 mum; CdTe-based modules; CdZnTe; all-optical switching performances; control fluences; electrooptic effect; extinction ratios; nanosecond temporal regime; near-infrared photoconductivity; optically induced switching; physical switching mechanism; recovery time constant; semiconductor ternary alloy; Laser beams; Optical beams; Optical polarization; Optical refraction; Optical sensors; Optical signal processing; Photoconductivity; Tellurium; Testing; Zinc;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1041-1135

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/68.868000

Filename

868000