Low threshold optical bistable switching in an asymmetric lambda/4-shifted distributed-feedback heterostructure

The nonlinear optical response of an asymmetric \u3bb/4\u2010shifted distributed\u2010feedback GaAs/AlAs heterostructure is investigated using numerical methods, and also demonstrated experimentally. This structure exhibited both optical switching and bistability at incident wavelengths near \u3bb=884 nm. The observed bistability threshold of less than 1 kW\u2009cm 122 is more than an order of magnitude smaller than that of any previously measured distributed\u2010feedback heterostructures.NRC publication: Ye