Ultimate fast optical switching of a planar microcavity in the telecom wavelength range

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Ctistis G., Yuce E., HARTSUİKER A., Claudon J., Bazin M., Gerard J., ...More

APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS, vol.98, no.16, 2011 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 98 Issue: 16
  • Publication Date: 2011
  • Doi Number: 10.1063/1.3580615
  • Journal Name: APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: No

Abstract

We have studied a GaAs-AlAs planar microcavity with a resonance near 1300 nm in the telecom range by ultrafast pump-probe reflectivity. By the judicious choice of pump frequency, we observe an ultimate fast and reversible decrease in the resonance frequency by more than half a linewidth due to the instantaneous electronic Kerr effect. The switch-on and switch-off of the cavity is only limited by the cavity storage time of tau(cav)=0.3 ps and not by intrinsic material parameters. Our results pave the way to supraterahertz switching rates for on-chip data modulation and real-time cavity quantum electrodynamics. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3580615]