Abstract

During the last decade there has been a vigorous and extensive search for materials having nonlinear-refractive properties suitable for ultrafast all-optical switching applications. Despite this, only limited progress has been made. To date, the most successful switching demonstrations have been made using silica glass optical fiber as the nonlinear medium. Yet, it is ironic that silica has one of the lowest nonlinear refraction coefficients of all optical materials; consequently, large input powers P or long device

© 1991 Optical Society of America