We fabricate a novel silicon-core silica-cladding optical fiber using high pressure chemical fluid deposition and investigate optical transmission characteristics at the telecommunications wavelength of 1550 nm. High thermo-optic and thermal expansion coefficients of silicon give rise to a thermal phase shift of 6.3 rad/K in a 4 mm-long, 6.9 µm diameter fiber acting as a Fabry-Perot resonator. Using both power and wavelength modulation, we observe all-optical bistability at a low threshold power of 15 mW, featuring intensity transitions of 1.4 dB occurring over <0.1 pm change in wavelength. Threshold powers for higher-order multistable states are predicted. Tristability is experimentally confirmed.

© 2010 OSA

1. “Topics in Applied Physics,” 1–50, Silicon Photonics, L. Pavesi, D. J. Lockwood (Eds.), (Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004).
2. B. Jalali and S. Fathpour, “Silicon Photonics,” J. Lightwave Technol. 24(12), 4600–4615 (2006). [CrossRef]
3. V. R. Almeida and M. Lipson, “Optical bistability on a silicon chip,” Opt. Lett. 29(20), 2387–2389 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
4. P. J. A. Sazio, A. Amezcua-Correa, C. E. Finlayson, J. R. Hayes, T. J. Scheidemantel, N. F. Baril, B. R. Jackson, D.-J. Won, F. Zhang, E. R. Margine, V. Gopalan, V. H. Crespi, and J. V. Badding, “Microstructured optical fibers as high-pressure microfluidic reactors,” Science 311(5767), 1583–1586 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
5. L. Lagonigro, N. Healy, J. R. Sparks, N. F. Baril, P. J. A. Sazio, J. V. Badding, and A. C. Peacock, “Low loss silicon fibers for photonics applications,” Appl. Phys. Lett. (to be published).
6. S. L. McCall, H. M. Gibbs, and T. N. C. Venkatesan, “Optical transistor and bistability,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. 65, 1184 (1975).
7. Hyatt M. Gibbs, Optical Bistability: Controlling Light with Light (Academic Press, Inc., 1985), Chap. 3.
8. P. W. Smith, E. H. Turner, and P. J. Maloney, “Electrooptic nonlinear Fabry-Perot devices,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 14(3), 207–212 (1978). [CrossRef]
9. H. J. Eichler, “Optical multistability in silicon observed with a cw laser at 1.06 μm,” Opt. Commun. 45(1), 62–66 (1983). [CrossRef]
10. Q. Xu and M. Lipson, “Carrier-induced optical bistability in silicon ring resonators,” Opt. Lett. 31(3), 341–343 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
11. D. Jager, F. Forsmann, and B. Wedding, “Low-power optical bistability and multistability in a self-electro-optic silicon interferometer,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 21(9), 1453–1457 (1985). [CrossRef]
12. N. F. Baril, B. Keshavari, J. R. Sparks, M. Krishnamurthi, I. Temnykh, P. J. A. Sazio, A. Borhan, V. Gopalan, and J. V. Badding, “Chemical Fluidic Deposition for Void-Free Filling of Extreme Aspect Ratio Templates,” Adv. Mater. (to be published). [PubMed]
13. D.-J. Won, M. O. Ramirez, H. Kang, V. Gopalan, N. F. Baril, J. Calkins, J. V. Badding, and P. J. A. Sazio, “All-optical modulation of laser light in amorphous silicon-filled microstructured optical fibers,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 91(16), 161112 (2007). [CrossRef]
14. P. Roberts, F. Couny, H. Sabert, B. Mangan, T. Birks, J. Knight, and P. Russell, “Loss in solid-core photonic crystal fibers due to interface roughness scattering,” Opt. Express 13(20), 7779–7793 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
15. F. David, Edwards, “Silicon (Si),” in Handbook of Optical Constants of Solids, E.D. Palik, ed. (Academic, Orlando, Fla., 1985).
16. J. M. Vaughan, The Fabry-Perot Interferometer, (IOP Publishing Ltd, 1989), Chap. 10.
17. A. De Rossi, V. Ortiz, M. Calligaro, L. Lanco, S. Ducci, V. Berger, and I. Sagnes, “Measuring propagation loss in a multimode semiconductor waveguide,” J. Appl. Phys. 97(7), 073105 (2005). [CrossRef]
18. Q. Xu and M. Lipson, “Carrier-induced optical bistability in silicon ring resonators,” Opt. Lett. 31(3), 341–343 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
19. G. Vienne, Y. Li, L. Tong, and P. Grelu, “Observation of a nonlinear microfiber resonator,” Opt. Lett. 33(13), 1500–1502 (2008). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
20. T. Graham, Reed and Andrew P. Knights, Silicon Photonics, (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 2004), Chap. 4.
21. Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, “New Semiconductor Materials. Characteristics and Properties,” (2001). http://www.ioffe.rssi.ru/SVA/NSM/Semicond/Si/thermal.html

Adv. Mater.

• N. F. Baril, B. Keshavari, J. R. Sparks, M. Krishnamurthi, I. Temnykh, P. J. A. Sazio, A. Borhan, V. Gopalan, and J. V. Badding, “Chemical Fluidic Deposition for Void-Free Filling of Extreme Aspect Ratio Templates,” Adv. Mater. (to be published). [PubMed]

Appl. Phys. Lett.

• D.-J. Won, M. O. Ramirez, H. Kang, V. Gopalan, N. F. Baril, J. Calkins, J. V. Badding, and P. J. A. Sazio, “All-optical modulation of laser light in amorphous silicon-filled microstructured optical fibers,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 91(16), 161112 (2007). [CrossRef]
• L. Lagonigro, N. Healy, J. R. Sparks, N. F. Baril, P. J. A. Sazio, J. V. Badding, and A. C. Peacock, “Low loss silicon fibers for photonics applications,” Appl. Phys. Lett. (to be published).

IEEE J. Quantum Electron.

• P. W. Smith, E. H. Turner, and P. J. Maloney, “Electrooptic nonlinear Fabry-Perot devices,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 14(3), 207–212 (1978). [CrossRef]
• D. Jager, F. Forsmann, and B. Wedding, “Low-power optical bistability and multistability in a self-electro-optic silicon interferometer,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 21(9), 1453–1457 (1985). [CrossRef]

J. Appl. Phys.

• A. De Rossi, V. Ortiz, M. Calligaro, L. Lanco, S. Ducci, V. Berger, and I. Sagnes, “Measuring propagation loss in a multimode semiconductor waveguide,” J. Appl. Phys. 97(7), 073105 (2005). [CrossRef]

J. Lightwave Technol.

• B. Jalali and S. Fathpour, “Silicon Photonics,” J. Lightwave Technol. 24(12), 4600–4615 (2006). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am.

• S. L. McCall, H. M. Gibbs, and T. N. C. Venkatesan, “Optical transistor and bistability,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. 65, 1184 (1975).

Opt. Commun.

• H. J. Eichler, “Optical multistability in silicon observed with a cw laser at 1.06 μm,” Opt. Commun. 45(1), 62–66 (1983). [CrossRef]

Opt. Express

• P. Roberts, F. Couny, H. Sabert, B. Mangan, T. Birks, J. Knight, and P. Russell, “Loss in solid-core photonic crystal fibers due to interface roughness scattering,” Opt. Express 13(20), 7779–7793 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• Q. Xu and M. Lipson, “Carrier-induced optical bistability in silicon ring resonators,” Opt. Lett. 31(3), 341–343 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• G. Vienne, Y. Li, L. Tong, and P. Grelu, “Observation of a nonlinear microfiber resonator,” Opt. Lett. 33(13), 1500–1502 (2008). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• Q. Xu and M. Lipson, “Carrier-induced optical bistability in silicon ring resonators,” Opt. Lett. 31(3), 341–343 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• V. R. Almeida and M. Lipson, “Optical bistability on a silicon chip,” Opt. Lett. 29(20), 2387–2389 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Science

• P. J. A. Sazio, A. Amezcua-Correa, C. E. Finlayson, J. R. Hayes, T. J. Scheidemantel, N. F. Baril, B. R. Jackson, D.-J. Won, F. Zhang, E. R. Margine, V. Gopalan, V. H. Crespi, and J. V. Badding, “Microstructured optical fibers as high-pressure microfluidic reactors,” Science 311(5767), 1583–1586 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Other

• Hyatt M. Gibbs, Optical Bistability: Controlling Light with Light (Academic Press, Inc., 1985), Chap. 3.
• “Topics in Applied Physics,” 1–50, Silicon Photonics, L. Pavesi, D. J. Lockwood (Eds.), (Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004).
• T. Graham, Reed and Andrew P. Knights, Silicon Photonics, (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 2004), Chap. 4.
• Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, “New Semiconductor Materials. Characteristics and Properties,” (2001). http://www.ioffe.rssi.ru/SVA/NSM/Semicond/Si/thermal.html
• F. David, Edwards, “Silicon (Si),” in Handbook of Optical Constants of Solids, E.D. Palik, ed. (Academic, Orlando, Fla., 1985).
• J. M. Vaughan, The Fabry-Perot Interferometer, (IOP Publishing Ltd, 1989), Chap. 10.

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