Abstract
Nonlinearities in strained multiple-quantum-well (MQW) devices are much stronger than those in similar bulk devices. Time- resolved pump-probe experiments have shown the role of fast nonlinearity mechanisms (below 1 ps).1,2 Four-wave-mixing (FWM) experiments in semiconductor amplifiers have been proven to be a powerful tool for investigating the mechanisms for the nonlinearities of these devices.3,4 In FWM experiments, bulk amplifiers act as a combination of low-pass filters, each with a cutoff frequency inversely proportional to the time constant of the underlying nonlinear process. The FWM response drops 20 dB/decade after the first cutoff frequency—the inverse of the lifetime of the excited carriers—then rises because of the contribution of the fast intraband semiconductor nonlinearity and eventually drops again 20 dB/decade.3 This suggests that the different nonlinearities act as independent processes.
© 1993 Optical Society of America
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