We demonstrate optical bistability in a Silicon-On-Insulator two-bus ring resonator with input powers as low as 0.3mW . We evaluate the importance of the different nonlinear contributions and derive time constants for carrier and thermal relaxation effects. In some cases, we also observe pulsation due to interaction between the dominant nonlinear effects. Such a behaviour may be problematic for possible memory and switching operations. Alternatively, it could be used for (tunable) pulse generation.

© 2005 Optical Society of America

1. W. Bogaerts, R. Baets, P. Dumon, V. Wiaux, S. Beckx, D. Taillaert, B. Luyssaert, J. Van Campenhout, P. Bienstman, and D. Van Thourhout, "Nanophotonic waveguides in Silicon-on-Insulator fabricated with CMOS Technology,�?? IEEE J. Lightwave Technol. 23, 401�??412 (2005). [CrossRef]
2. D. Taillaert, P. Bienstman, and R. Baets, �??Compact efficient broadband grating coupler for silicon-on-insulator waveguides,�?? Opt. Lett. 29, 2749�??2751 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
3. V. Almeida and M. Lipson, �??Optical bistability on a silicon chip,�?? Opt. Lett. 29, 2387�??2389 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
4. P. Barclay, K. Srinivasan, and O. Painter, �??Nonlinear response of silicon photonic crystal microresonators excited via an integrated waveguide and fiber taper,�?? Opt. Express 13, 801�??820 (2005), <a href=http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-13-3-801.> http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-13-3-801</a>. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
5. M. Notomi, A. Shinya, S. Mitsugi, G. Kira, E. Kuramochi, and T. Tanabe, �??Optical bistable switching action of Si high-Q photonic-crystal nanocavities,�?? Opt. Express 13, 2678�??2687 (2005), <a href=http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-13-7-2678.> http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-13-7-2678</a>. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
6. G. Priem, P. Bienstman, G. Morthier, and R. Baets, �??Resonator-based all-optical Kerr-nonlinear phase shifting: design and limitations,�?? J. Appl. Phys. 97, 023104 (2005). [CrossRef]
7. A. Melloni, F. Morichetti, and M. Martinelli, �??Linear and nonlinear pulse propagation in coupled resonator slow-wave optical structures,�?? Opt. Quantum Electron. 35, 365�??379 (2003). [CrossRef]
8. T. K. Liang and H. K. Tsang, �??Role of free carriers from two-photon absorption in Raman amplification in silicon-on-insulator waveguides,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 2745�??2747 (2004). [CrossRef]
9. R. Claps, V. Raghunathan, D. Dimitropoulos, and B. Jalali, �??Influence of nonlinear absorption on Raman amplification in silicon waveguides,�?? Opt. Express 12, 2774-2780 (2004), <a href=http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-12-2774.>http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-12-2774</a>. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
10. D. Dimitropoulos, R. Jhaveri, R. Claps, J. Woo, and B. Jalali, �??Lifetime of photogenerated carriers in silicon-on-insulator rib waveguides,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 86, 071115 (2005). [CrossRef]
11. H. Gibbs, Optical bistability: controlling light with light (Academic, Orlando, 1985).

Appl. Phys. Lett.

• T. K. Liang and H. K. Tsang, �??Role of free carriers from two-photon absorption in Raman amplification in silicon-on-insulator waveguides,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 2745�??2747 (2004). [CrossRef]
• D. Dimitropoulos, R. Jhaveri, R. Claps, J. Woo, and B. Jalali, �??Lifetime of photogenerated carriers in silicon-on-insulator rib waveguides,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 86, 071115 (2005). [CrossRef]

IEEE J. Lightwave Technol.

• W. Bogaerts, R. Baets, P. Dumon, V. Wiaux, S. Beckx, D. Taillaert, B. Luyssaert, J. Van Campenhout, P. Bienstman, and D. Van Thourhout, "Nanophotonic waveguides in Silicon-on-Insulator fabricated with CMOS Technology,�?? IEEE J. Lightwave Technol. 23, 401�??412 (2005). [CrossRef]

J. Appl. Phys.

• G. Priem, P. Bienstman, G. Morthier, and R. Baets, �??Resonator-based all-optical Kerr-nonlinear phase shifting: design and limitations,�?? J. Appl. Phys. 97, 023104 (2005). [CrossRef]

Opt. Express

• R. Claps, V. Raghunathan, D. Dimitropoulos, and B. Jalali, �??Influence of nonlinear absorption on Raman amplification in silicon waveguides,�?? Opt. Express 12, 2774-2780 (2004), <a href=http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-12-2774.>http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-12-2774</a>. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• P. Barclay, K. Srinivasan, and O. Painter, �??Nonlinear response of silicon photonic crystal microresonators excited via an integrated waveguide and fiber taper,�?? Opt. Express 13, 801�??820 (2005), <a href=http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-13-3-801.> http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-13-3-801</a>. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• M. Notomi, A. Shinya, S. Mitsugi, G. Kira, E. Kuramochi, and T. Tanabe, �??Optical bistable switching action of Si high-Q photonic-crystal nanocavities,�?? Opt. Express 13, 2678�??2687 (2005), <a href=http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-13-7-2678.> http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-13-7-2678</a>. [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• D. Taillaert, P. Bienstman, and R. Baets, �??Compact efficient broadband grating coupler for silicon-on-insulator waveguides,�?? Opt. Lett. 29, 2749�??2751 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• V. Almeida and M. Lipson, �??Optical bistability on a silicon chip,�?? Opt. Lett. 29, 2387�??2389 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Quantum Electron.

• A. Melloni, F. Morichetti, and M. Martinelli, �??Linear and nonlinear pulse propagation in coupled resonator slow-wave optical structures,�?? Opt. Quantum Electron. 35, 365�??379 (2003). [CrossRef]

Other

• H. Gibbs, Optical bistability: controlling light with light (Academic, Orlando, 1985).

Click here to see a list of articles that cite this paper

Related Journal Articles

• Chaotic behavior in erbium-doped fiber-ring lasers (JOSAB)
• Experimental investigation of the dynamics of a stabilized nonlinear fiber ring resonator (JOSAB)
• Phase sensitivity of a nonlinear Bragg grating response under bidirectional illumination (JOSAB)
• Bistability and self-pulsation phenomena in silicon microring resonators based on nonlinear optical effects (OE)
• Optical instability and self-pulsing in silicon nitride whispering gallery resonators (OE)

Related Conference Papers

• Self-phase modulation instability in normal dispersion regime
• Ultrafast Optical Bistability in an InP-Based Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystal
• Observation of a Discrete Family of Dissipative Solitons in the Presence of a Symmetry-breaking Bifurcation
• Optical Performance Monitoring via Slow Light Enhanced Third Harmonic Generation in Silicon Photonic Crystal Waveguides
• Optical Performance Monitoring via Slow Light Enhanced Third Harmonic Generation in Silicon Photonic Crystal Waveguides
• Engineering the refractive index of lambda system using optical bistable field