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Bistability and self-pulsation phenomena in silicon microring resonators based on nonlinear optical effects
Shaowu Chen1, Libin Zhang, Yonghao Fei
1State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, China. swchen@semi.ac.cn
Optics Express
|March 29, 2012
Summary
Silicon microring resonators exhibit bistability and self-pulsation under intense light. These nonlinear optical effects are crucial for understanding device performance and enabling new functionalities in photonics.
Area of Science:
- Nonlinear optics
- Photonics
- Semiconductor devices
Background:
- Silicon microring resonators (MRR) are key components in integrated photonics.
- Understanding nonlinear optical phenomena like bistability (BS) and self-pulsation (SP) is crucial for MRR applications.
- Intense continuous-wave (CW) light injection can induce complex behaviors in MRRs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phenomena of bistability and self-pulsation in silicon microring resonators.
- To theoretically derive the threshold conditions for BS and SP.
- To analyze the impact of resonator parameters and light injection on SP characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Coupled mode theory was employed to model the optical behavior of the MRR.
- Linear stability analysis was used to determine the thresholds for BS and SP.
- Numerical analysis considered nonlinear optical effects: Kerr effect, two-photon absorption, free carrier absorption, and free carrier dispersion.
Main Results:
- Threshold optical intensity for BS and SP was theoretically derived.
- Self-pulsation occurs for carrier lifetimes between several picoseconds and several hundred picoseconds.
- SP requires input light intensity exceeding 10⁶W/cm², with modulation depths up to 8dB and frequencies beyond 10 GHz.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a theoretical framework for understanding BS and SP in silicon MRRs.
- Carrier lifetime and input light intensity are critical parameters for achieving SP.
- The observed SP characteristics suggest potential for high-frequency optical signal modulation.
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