Ultrafast sub-30 FS all-optical switching based on gallium phosphide

Gallium Phosphide (GaP) is one of the few available materials with strong optical nonlinearity and negligible losses in the visible ( >450 )and near-infrared regime. In this work, we demonstrate that a GaP film can generate sub-30 fs (full width at half maximum) transmission modulation of up to ⁓70% in the 600-1000 nm wavelength range. Nonlinear simulations using parameters measured by the Z-scan approach indicate that the transmission modulation arises from the optical Kerr effect and two-photon absorption. Due to the absence of linear absorption, no slower free-carrier contribution is detected. These findings place GaP as a promising ultrafast material for all-optical switching at modulation speeds of up to 20 THz