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Optical bistability by photothermal displacement in prism coupling into planar waveguides
Optics Letters
|September 10, 2009
Summary
We discovered photothermal displacement causes optical bistability (OB) in waveguides. Heating-induced buckling increases light coupling efficiency, creating a positive feedback loop for this novel OB mechanism.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Optical bistability (OB) is crucial for photonic devices.
- Existing OB mechanisms, like dispersive OB, rely on changes in effective refractive index.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize a new mechanism for optical bistability (OB) in absorbing planar waveguides.
- To differentiate this new OB from existing dispersive OB phenomena.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling of photothermal displacement in waveguide coupling.
- Experimental validation using argon-laser light coupled into indium-tin oxide waveguides.
Main Results:
- Photothermal displacement, driven by absorbed light, causes waveguide buckling.
- This buckling reduces the air-gap width, enhancing light incoupling and creating positive feedback.
- The observed OB effect differs significantly from power-dependent dispersive OB.
Conclusions:
- Photothermal displacement is a viable mechanism for achieving optical bistability in absorbing waveguides.
- This finding offers a new pathway for designing optical switching and logic devices.
