The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 17, 1985
Filed:
Dec. 22, 1983
Craig A Hoffman, Arlington, VA (US);
Jerry R Meyer, Baltimore, MD (US);
Filbert Bartoli, Upper Marlboro, MD (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A bistable optical switch comprising a Fabry-Perot resonator containing a nonlinear semiconductor medium with a desired band structure and whose susceptibility (refractive index) varies with optical energy density. The Fabry-Perot resonator is biased to a point where two stable transmission states are possible. Switching is accomplished by pumping the nonlinear material with an energy hw in the range 1/2.DELTA..sub.g <hw<.DELTA..sub.g, where .DELTA..sub.g is the bandgap between the upper valence band and the conduction band of the nonlinear material, in order to stimulate a two-photon valence-to-conduction band absorption transition at a non-minimum energy and thereby make possible a one-hw photon virtual transition between the heavy hole and split-off valence bands of the nonlinear material. This virtual transition alters the susceptibility thereby switching the resonator to a different stable transmission state. Switching times on the order of picoseconds are obtained because switching-time is not dependent on the carrier recombination time.