Resonantly Enhanced Nonlinearity in Doped Fibers for Low-Power All-Optical Switching: A Review
✍ Scribed by M.J.F. Digonnet; R.W. Sadowski; H.J. Shaw; R.H. Pantell
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 337 KB
- Volume
- 3
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1068-5200
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✦ Synopsis
This paper reviews the state of research in resonantly enhanced nonlinearities in fibers doped with an absorber, of interest for low-power all-optical switching. A mathematical model is first presented which shows that this type of nonlinearity can be up to nearly a billion times stronger than the intrinsic Kerr effect of silica. In principle, it can induce a phase modulation of in the infrared in a subnanometer length of fiber with just a few milliwatts of pump power, with a response time in the nanosec-( ) ond range. Much shorter response times picosecond or less are also possible at the expense of a concomitantly higher switching peak power, although the switching energy remains the same, in the 10-pJ range. The experimental investigations conducted so ( 3+
- ) far with rare earths Er , Nd , Yb , and Sm , color centers ( ) ( ) POHC , and transition metal ions vanadium are reviewed. They show that a wide range of performance is possible, from ( 3+ ) 50-W switching power and 10-ms response in Er grating to 6-W switching peak power and a response under 25 ns ( ) with POHC . With some of the dopants tested to date, it is readily possible to fabricate fiber switches only 1 cm in length, with a switching power of 15 mW and a 2-to 5-s response time.