Abstract

A novel hybrid silicon device is proposed which shows real optica! multistability at 1.06 μm as a result of a self-electrooptic effect similar to the SEED in Ref. 1. At that wavelength, the intrinsic optical nonlinearity of silicon is generally traced back to the generated concentration of electron- hole pairs and thermal effects.² in the present device which is sketched in Fig. 1 this nonlinearity is greatly enlarged due to the following combination of optical detector and electrooptic modulator characteristics.³ The induced photocurrent gives rise to an electric power which is absorbed in the device and leads to increased temperature. Consequently, the optical absorption and index of refraction are shifted to higher values, and the interferometer will be detuned. In the right conditions, a positive feedback arises, and switching occurs at low optical input powers.

© 1985 Optical Society of America