Abstract
A new form of optical Instability in semiconductor-injection lasers is reported in which the position of the optical pulse, generated by a gain switched laser, can take one of two stable positions within a clock cycle. Unlike some forms of optical bistability,1–3 the contrast ratio between the light levels for the two states is high (>20 dB). The optical power required to trigger from one state to the other is typically a few percent of the laser output power, and the duration of the trigger pulse needs be only a fraction of the clock cycle. Trigger energies can, therefore, be in the femtojoule range. Both electrical and optical trigger mechanisms are discussed.
© 1986 Optical Society of America
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