Third order room temperature nonlinear optical switches
US5406407A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 4, 1994 |
| Grant date | Apr 11, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 4, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02F1/3551
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An optical switching device comprises a material which exhibits third order optical nonlinearity (X.sup.(3)) at frequencies just below the band gap of the material, a room temperature and at a wavelength of approximately 1.55.mu.. The switching device is particularly useful for optical communication applications. The preferred material is n-Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x Sb, where x is approximately 0.1. Additional preferred materials are those which have a band gap (at .GAMMA.) just above the photon energy of the system and have a subsidiary conduction band (at X or L) approximately 0.1 ev above the E.sub.o level at .GAMMA. at a predetermined wavelength. Such alloy systems include (AlGaIn)As with 0.635.mu..ltoreq..lambda..ltoreq.0.672.mu., and (AlGaIn)P with 0.56.mu..ltoreq..lambda..ltoreq.0.65.mu..
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.