Abstract

Spatial solitons in photorefractive materials have been the subject of recent interest.¹-⁶ Compared with Kerr spatial⁷ solitons, the most distinctive features of spatial solitons are that they are observed at low light intensities and that trapping occurs in both transverse dimensions. Until now, photorefractive spatial solitons have been observed in the tungsten bronze ferroelectric oxides and in the nonferroelectric sillenite oxides. Several reasons have led us to carry out similar experiments in the photorefractive semiconductor crystal InP:Fe.⁸,⁹ First, this material is sensitive in the range of the near-infrared wavelengths used in optical telecommunications. Second, the photorefractive effect in semiconductors has the advantage of a faster response time than that observed in either the tungsten bronze or the sillenite crystal materials. Third, the possibility of monolithic integration with other optoelectronic components (lasers, detectors) is also attractive.

© 1998 Optical Society of America