Abstract

Nonlinear optical devices are essential to many optical signal processing applications, such as optical neural networks,¹ Using a single mask, self-aligned technique, we have fabricated a saturable absorber with a 37-dB transmission increase as a function of input power. It is a 2.2-mm-long, 5-µm-wide AIGaAs rib waveguide. The layer structure is shown in Figure 1. The waveguide is embedded in a pin diode structure with an intrinsic region width of 0.33 µm, which allows for strong electric fields at low voltages. At tire center of the waveguide core is a 10-well GaAs/Al_0.4Ga_0.6 As superlattice with 2,5-nm wells and barriers.

© 1993 Optical Society of America