Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators
Published on: May 30, 2014
Observation of counterclockwise, clockwise and butterfly bistabilty in 1550 nm VCSOAs
Christopher F Marki1, Douglas R Jorgesen, Haijiang Zhang
1University of California, San Diego 9500 Gilman Dr., San Diego, CA 92093, USA. cmarki@ucsd.edu
Abstract:
In this paper, we report counter-clockwise, clockwise, and, for the first time to our knowledge, butterfly bistability in 1550 nm Vertical Cavity Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (VCSOA). Bistable operation is experimentally observed for bias currents ranging from 66-122% of threshold with switching powers as low as 2 microW. These switching powers are two orders of magnitude lower than any previous results in 1550 nm VCSOAs. These switching powers are consistent with previous reports on optical bistability in 850 nm VCSOAs and provide an important step towards the realization of small footprint, low power optical logic/switching elements in the 1550 nm wavelength band.
Related Concept Videos
Oscillations In An LC Circuit
Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy
In-phase-contrast microscopes, interference between light directly passing through a cell and light refracted by cellular components is used to create high-contrast, high-resolution images without staining. It is the oldest and simplest type of microscope that creates an image by altering the wavelengths of light rays passing through the specimen. Altered wavelength paths are created using an annular stop in the condenser. The annular stop produces a hollow cone of...
UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Molecular Electronic Transitions
Bipolar Junction Transistor
The structure...
IR Spectrum Peak Splitting: Symmetric vs Asymmetric Vibrations
Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

