title: Ultra-fast photonic crystal/quantum dot alloptical switch for future photonic networks.
abstract: We demonstrated a novel two-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) based Symmetric Mach Zehnder type all-optical switch (PC-SMZ) with InAs quantum dots (QDs) acting as a nonlinear phase-shift source. The 600- ?m-long PC-SMZ having integrated wavelength-selective PC-based directional couplers and other PC components exhibited a 15-ps-wide switching-window with 2-ps rise/fall time at a wavelength of 1.3 ?m. Nonlinear optical phase shift in the 500-?m-long straight PC waveguide was also achieved at sufficiently low optical-energy (e.g., ??phase shift at ~100-fJ control-pulse energy) due to the small saturation energy density of the QDs, which is enhanced in the PC waveguide, without using conventional measures such as SOAs with current-injected gain. The results pave the way to novel PC- and QD-based photonic integrated circuits including multiple PC-SMZs and other novel functional devices.
authors.forename: Nakamura
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hitoshi
authors.forename: Yoshimasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: Kyozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanamoto
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Yusui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohkouchi
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Kuon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asakawa