Abstract

Ultrafast all-optical switching (AOS), which is a key technology for next generation terabit/s communication devices, cannot be obtained by means of conventional electronics. To implement AOS devices in practice, nonlinear optical materials with strong third-order nonlinearity, ultrafast recovery of optical transparency and operability within optical fiber communication window at room temperature are required. Recent observation of strong two-photon absorption (TPA) and ultrafast recovery of transparency¹ as well as gigantic electro-reflectance² implies a strong potential of 1D cuprates for application in AOS devices. However, it is currently unclear which among the many cuprates is the best material for AOS application. Performing a systematic search among cuprates with different Cu-O networks, we show that 1D cuprates meet all the requirements for AOS, while 2D cuprates are not suitable for such an application.

© 2001 Optical Society of America