Nonlinear Optical Logic Etalon at Today’s Fiber Communication Wavelengths

Abstract

In_0.53Ga_0.47As lattice-matched to InP has been used extensively as the material for sources and detectors for optical fiber communications. Here, we report the first use of InGaAs/InP multiple quantum well (MQW) structures in the form of a nonlinear optical Fabry-Perot etalon for all-optical logic operations [1], Employing a pump-and-probe configuration, we have performed positive and negative logic gatings at 100 MHz operating frequency with large on/off contrast ratios (>20:1, if desired), several pJ input energies, large on-state transmissions (>40%), ~2 nsec recovery time and signal gain (~2). The results are at least comparable to those of GaAs-based counterparts [1]. Most significantly, these results show the compatibility of optical communication and optical switching.