Hybrid Nonlinear Cavities for Ultrafast All Optical Switching
Selim Jochim, Stephan Gulde, Nikolaj Moll, Rainer F. Mahrt, Bert J. Offrein, Mauro Murgia and Roberto Zamboni
Combining organic films with high Kerr-nonlinearities and resonant photonic nanostructures could lead to new fast switching elements. To determine the nonlinear coefficients, we fabricate Fabry-Perot cavities by incorporating the organic material between two dielectric mirrors. Using a femtosecond pump and probe setup we spectrally resolve the nonlinear transmission of pulses that are spectrally broader than the cavities. The resulting signals are then compared to finite-difference time-domain simulations to deduce the nonlinear coefficients. This analysis is performed for various organic materials. In the same setup the switching behaviour can eventually be demonstrated with appropriate materials. As a next step we are developing planar integrated hybrid photonic structures. While their design enables scalable in coupling and out coupling, the resulting performance will be comparable to Fabry-Perot micro-cavities.