All-optical flip-flop operation based on asymmetric active-multimode interferometer bi-stable laser diodes.

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Integrated Optics
• Nonlinear Optics

Background:

• All-optical flip-flops are crucial for high-speed optical signal processing and computing.
• Existing devices often face challenges with energy consumption and switching speed.
• Asymmetric active-multimode interferometers offer potential for improved performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel all-optical flip-flop device with enhanced speed and reduced energy consumption.
• To investigate the performance of high-mesa waveguide structures in all-optical switching applications.
• To optimize the design of asymmetric active-multimode interferometers for flip-flop operation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of high-mesa waveguide structures for asymmetric active-multimode interferometers.
• Experimental demonstration of all-optical flip-flop operation using short optical pulses.
• Characterization of device performance, including switching speed, rise/fall times, and energy requirements.

Main Results:

• Achieved high-speed all-optical flip-flop operation with 25 ps pulses.
• Demonstrated fast output signal rise and fall times of 121 ps and 25 ps, respectively.
• Required low set and reset pulse energies of 7.1 fJ and 3.4 fJ, respectively.

Conclusions:

• The implemented all-optical flip-flop devices show promising performance for future optical computing.
• The high-mesa waveguide structure is effective in achieving fast and low-energy all-optical switching.
• Further research can explore scaling and integration of these devices for complex optical circuits.