Abstract

Nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor waveguides are interesting in a variety of all-optical devices such as switches and couplers. The materials concerned have quite strongly intensity-dependent optical properties close to their absorption edges¹ due to band-filling by optically excited electrons and holes (n₂ values greater than 10^-8cm²W^-1 have been reported in guided wave experiments²). The use of multiple quantum well (MQW) material gives considerable freedom in engineering optical devices since the position of the band edge can be tuned by control of the well width and the refractive index can be independently varied by control of the ratio of well to barrier thickness.

© 1989 Optical Society of America