Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026
15:47
Nanofabrication of Gate-defined GaAs/AlGaAs Lateral Quantum Dots
Published on: November 1, 2013
Monolithically integrated all-optical gate switch using intersubband transition in InGaAs/AlAsSb coupled double
Ryoichi Akimoto1, Shin-ichiro Gozu, Teruo Mozume
1Network Photonics Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. r-akimoto@aist.go.jp
Optics Express
|July 13, 2011
Summary
Researchers created a compact all-optical gate switch using quantum wells and a Michelson interferometer. This device achieves full switching with low energy and demonstrates high-speed optical signal demultiplexing.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and optoelectronics
- Quantum optics
- Semiconductor device physics
Background:
- All-optical switches are crucial for high-speed optical communication networks.
- Existing devices often face limitations in size, energy efficiency, or switching speed.
- Developing compact and efficient all-optical switching mechanisms is an ongoing challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a compact, all-optical gate switch with high performance.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of using cross-phase-modulation in coupled quantum wells for all-optical switching.
- To showcase the device's capability in high-speed optical signal processing, specifically demultiplexing.
Main Methods:
- Monolithic integration of an optical nonlinear waveguide (InGaAs/AlGaAs/AlAsSb coupled double quantum wells) with a Michelson interferometer (MI) on an InP chip.
- Utilizing cross-phase-modulation (XPM) via intersubband transitions for phase modulation.
- Employing a transverse magnetic pump light for phase modulation and a transverse electric signal light within the passive photonic integrated circuit.
Main Results:
- Achieved a compact all-optical gate switch with a footprint less than 1 mm².
- Demonstrated full switching of a π-rad nonlinear phase shift with a low pump pulse energy of 8.6 pJ at a 10-GHz repetition rate.
- Successfully performed all-optical demultiplexing of a 160-Gb/s signal down to a 40-Gb/s signal.
Conclusions:
- The developed compact all-optical gate switch offers a promising solution for next-generation optical communication systems.
- The monolithic integration of quantum wells and a Michelson interferometer provides an efficient platform for all-optical signal processing.
- The device's low switching energy and high-speed demultiplexing capabilities highlight its potential for practical applications.
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