Abstract

The multiple quantum well structure, GaAs/GaAIAs, displays room temperature optical bistability at very low switching powers in various conditions through the temperature variation and the external voltage across the sample.^1,2 We have constructed detailed models to calculate these effects. Coupled Maxwell’s equations and the heat conduction equation are solved to demonstrate how the red shift of the band gap leads to absorptive bistability. The spatial variation of the external field strength is a typical PIN junction and the experimental values of the absorption coefficient are used to obtain the bistability properties as a function of the incident frequency and the biased external voltage. The results based on the actual material constants are in good agreement with the experimental data without adjustable parameters. We also extend the previous work on the stability analysis in the mean-field approximation to this system involving complicated boundary conditions with the propagation effects.

© 1986 Optical Society of America