Abstract

Nonlinear χ⁽²⁾ materials are attracting new attention for ultrafast all-optical switches based on the χ⁽²⁾:χ⁽²⁾ cascading mechanism.¹ Recent experiments and analysis have shown the potential of cascading to decrease the switching energy down to a practical level.² Although semiconductors have large nonresonant χ⁽²⁾ (e.g., d₁₄ = 90-130 pm/V for GaAs³), the near phase-matching condition required for large cascading nonlinearities is difficult to achieve.

© 1996 Optical Society of America