Nonlinear Optics and Optical Computing

277 Pages·1990·6.309 MB·English

by  W. J. Firth (auth.), S. Martellucci, A. N. Chester (eds.)

Nonlinear Optics
and Optical Computing
ETTORE MAJORANA
INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE SERIES
Series Editor:
Antonino Zichichi
European Physical Society
Geneva, Switzerland
(PHYSICAL SCIENCES)
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Volume 41 PROGRESS IN MICROEMULSIONS
Edited by S. Martellucci and A. N. Chester
Volume 42 DIGITAL SEISMOLOGY AND FINE
MODELING OF THE LITHOSPHERE
Edited by R. Cassinis, G. Nolet, and G. F. Panza
Volume 43 NONSMOOTH OPTIMIZATION AND RELATED TOPICS
Edited by F. H. Clarke, V. F. Oem'yanov,
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Volume 44 HEAVY FLAVOURS AND HIGH-ENERGY COLLISIONS
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Edited by S. Martellucci and A. N. Chester
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Nonlinear Optics
and Optical Computing
Edited by
S. Martellucci
The Second University of Rome
Rome, Italy
and
A. N. Chester
Hughes Research Center
Malibu, California
Plenum Press. New York and London
Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data
Course of the International School of Quantum Electronics on Nonlinear
OptiCS and Optical Computing (13th: 1988 : Er1ce. Italy)
Nonl1near opt1cs and opt1cal comput1ng / ed1ted by Martellucc1 and
A.N. Chester.
p. CM. -- (Ettore Majorana 1nternat10nal sc1ence ser1es.
Phys1cal sc1ences ; v. 49)
"Proceed1ngs of the Th1rteenth Course of the Internat10nal School
of Quantum Electron1cs on Nonl1near Opt1cs Comput1ng. held May
11-19. 1988. 1n Erlce. Italy"--T.p. verso.
Includes b1bl1ograph1cal references and 1ndex.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4612-7900-6 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4613-0629-0
DOT: 10.1007/978-1-4613-0629-0
1. Nonl1near opt1cs--Congresses. 2. Opt1cal data process1ng
-Congresses. I. Martelluccl. S. II. Chester. A. N. III. T1tle.
IV. Series.
QC446.15.C68 1988
621.39·1--dc20 90-7306
CIP
Proceedings of the Thirteenth Course of the International School of
Quantum Electronics on Nonlinear Optics and Optical Computing,
held May 11-19,1988, in Erice,ltaly
© 1990 Plenum Press, New York
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1990
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
233 Spring Street, New York, N.Y. 10013
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
PREFACE
The conference "Nonlinear Optics and Optical Computing" was held May
11-19, 1988 in Erice, Sicily. This was the 13th conference organized by
the International School of Quantum Electronics, under the auspices of the
"Ettore Majorana" Center for Scientific Culture. This volume contains both
the invited and contributed papers presented at the conference, providing
tutorial background, the latest research results, and future directions
for the devices, structures and architectures of optical computing.
The invention of the transistor and the integrated circuit were
followed by an explosion of application as ever faster and more complex
microelectronics chips became available. The information revolution occa
sioned by digital computers and optical communications is now reaching the
limits of silicon semiconductor technology, but the demand for faster com
putation is still accelerating. The fundamental limitations of information
processing today derive from the performance and cost of three technical
factors: speed, density, and software. Optical computation offers the
potential for improvements in all three of these critical areas:
Speed is provided by the transmission of impulses at optical veloc
ities, without the delays caused by parasitic capacitance in the case of
conventional electrical interconnects. Speed can also be achieved through
the massive parallelism characteristic of many optical computing architec
tures;
Density can be provided in optical computers in two ways: by high
spatial resolution, on the order of wavelengths of light, and by computa
tion or interconnection in three dimensions. In general, optical computer
architectures avoid the yield and rework difficulties often associated
with densely packaged electronic devices; and,
Software is facilitated in optical computers, as in some electronic
computers, through the use of highly parallel architectures, and through
the use of adaptive, self-programming configurations analogous to networks.
Before optical computer benefits can be realized in practice, consid
erable development is needed of the devices, structures, and architectures
which only exist in research laboratories today. Fortunately, a strong
foundation already exists in these areas, and this book treats both the
fundamental devices and the computing architectures which will make
possible the advanced computers of the future. Due to the peculiar charac
teristics of this rapidly developing field, we did not interfere with the
original manuscripts in editing this material and wanted only to arrange it
v
without reference to the chronology of the conference into five categories:
1) "Optical Nonlinearities and Bistability", a group of five papers
emphasizing nonlinear Fabry-Perot resonators and other bistable struc
tures, which could serve as basic logic and memory elements;
2) "Quantum Wells and Fast Nonlinearities", four papers describing quantum
well structures and the fast nonlinear effects they exhibit;
3) "Optical Computing, Neural Networks, and Interconnects", a set of four
papers covering optical computer architectures, optical interconnects,
and their practical implementation;
4) "Materials and Devices", three papers treating lasers, nonlinear
fibers, and nonlinear effects at surfaces, as possible elements for
optical computation; and
5) "Suggestion for Further Reading", two papers containing an extensive
annotated bibliography on nonlinear optical activity and nonlinear eigen
polarizations, and additional selected references on optical computing
using phase conjugation.
These papers, and the further references therein, should form a
useful guide to today's research results, and the basis for future
advances in optical computers.
Before concluding, the Editors acknowledge Miss R. Colussi, who
voluntereed to retype and revise the entire volume, as well as the
continuous assistance of the Plenum Editor (J. Curtis); they wish to express
sincere appreciation to Prof. A. M. Scheggi, the Scientific Secretary of
the conference, and to Mrs. V. Cammelli for the very specialized assistance
in the success full organization of the conference. Thanks are also due to
the organizations who sponsored the conference; among them, the Ettore
Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture, whose support made the conference
possible.
The Directors of the Int'l School of Quantum Electronics:
A. N. Chester S. Martellucci
Vice-President and Director Professor of Physics
Hughes Research Center The Second University of Rome
Malibu, California (USA) Rome (Italy)
November 15, 1989
vi
CONTENTS
OPTICAL NONLINEARITIES AND BISTABILITY
Theory of optical bistability and optical memory . . . 3
W. J. Firth
Dynamic operation of nonlinear waveguide devices for
fast optical switching • . . . . . . . . . . . 21
S. Laval and N. Paraire
Optical bistability in coupled-cavity
semiconductor lasers . . . . . 37
H. D. Liu
Semiconductor bistable etalons for digital
optical computing . . . .. ..... . 51
A. Miller, I. T. Muirhead, K. L. Lewis, J. Staromlynska
and K. R. Welford
Three photon ionization of Na atoms and
related plasma phenomena . . 63
F. Giammanco
QUANTUM WELLS AND FAST NONLINEARITIES
Ultrafast dynamical nonlinearities in
III-V semiconductors ..... 83
J. L. Oudar
Nonlinear optical materials and devices . . . . . 99
N. Peyghambarian, S. W. Koch, H. M. Gibbs, and H. Haug
Excitonic optical nonlinearities, four wave mixing and
optical bistability in multiple quantum well structures 119
A. Miller, P. K. Milsom and R. J. Manning
Nonlinear optics of a single slightly-relativistic
cyclotron electron . 131
A. E. Kaplan and Y. J. Ding
OPTICAL COMPUTING, NEURAL NETWORKS, AND INTERCONNECTS
Principles of optical computing . • . . . . 151
A. W. Lohmann
Optical associative memory 159
K. Hsu and D. Psaltis
Optical computing using phase conjugation 173
G. J. Dunning and C. R. Giuliano
Nonlinear photorefractive effects and their application
in dynamic optical interconnects and image processing 197
L. Hesselink, J. Wilde and B. McRuer
MATERIALS AND DEVICES
Ultrafast all-optical switching in optical fibers 217
S. Trillo, S. Wabnitz, and B. Daino
Nonlinear coupling to ZnS, ZnO and SDG planar waveguides:
theory and experimental study . . . . . • • . • . 229
G. Assanto
Nonlinearity at an interface • . • • . . • . . • . . . •. 247
F. Bloisi, L. Vicari, S. De Nicola, A. Finizio, P. Mormile
G. Pierattini, A. E. Kaplan, S. Martellucci, J. Quartieri
SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER READING
Polarization instability in crystals with nonlinear
anisotropy and nonlinear gyrotropy . • • . . 253
N. I. Zheludev
Selected references on optical computing using
phase conjugation • . • • . • • . • . • 265
G. J. Dunning and C. R. Giuliano
Index 269
viii
OPTICAL NONLINEARITIES AND BISTABILITY
THEORY OF OPTICAL BISTABILITY AND OPTICAL MEMORY
W.J. Firth
Dept. of Physics and Appl. Physics, Univ. of Strathclyde
Glasgow G4 ONG, Scotland, U.K.
I. INRODUCTION
Optical bistability (OB) characterises an optical system with two
possible state outputs for a single inputl-3. This phenomenon, and its
possible applications to optical information processing, was proposed
nearly two decades ago4. It has since been demonstrated in a wide variety
of systems and media, including vacuum and malt whisky!
Two objective of this presentation is to review the basic physics of
OB with emphasis on those features and systems most relevant to informa
tion processing. There will thus be a bias towards small systems exploiting
electronic nonlinearities, especially semiconductors. The seminal theoret
ical and experimental work in two level systems such as Na vapourl-3, and
the important field of instabilities in OB systemsS, will be largely
neglected: see Lugiato for a detailed reviewS.
This short review begins with perhaps the simplest model of optical
bistability6 which displays rather general features7 in a direct manner.
Most OB systems involve a resonant cavity, and the basic theory of absorp
tive and dispersive OB in cavities is presented, leading on to questions
of optimisation8 and the mapping of OB output states on to logic func
tions9. I then analyse switching dynamics, which leads to slowing-down
phenomenalO and gain-bandwidth considerationsll• The possibility of com
peting nonlinearities (e.g. electronic and thermal) is considered, which
can lead to self-oscillationl2 but also has important implications for
design of optical processorsl3.
The minimum size of OB devices is determined by the transverse coupl
ing mechanisms: both diffractive and diffusive mechanisms are analysed, and
hysteresis loops and beam profiles obtained numerically are discussed3,l4
Diffusion-dominated OB presents an interesting and practical limit in which
key features of optical memory devices can be analysed. In particular
switching-wave phenomena imply that large-area memory and image processing
Nonlinear Optics and Optical Computing
Edited by S. Martellucci and A. N. Chester
Plenum Press, New York, 1990 3