Abstract

All-optical switching devices reported based on power-dependent refractive-index changes in different integrated-optics formats have been reported.^1,2 For the nonlinear Mach-Zehnder switching device, two arms with a nonlinear phase difference of π are required (see Fig. 1). Recently it has been shown that cascaded second-order nonlinearities can produce large nonlinear phase shifts with potentially much lower powers than those required with third order nonlinearities.^3,4 Here we report what we believe to be the first demonstrations of an all-optical switching device using cascaded second-order processes.

© 1995 Optical Society of America