Toward soliton emission in asymmetric GaAs/AlGaAs multiple-quantum-well waveguide structures below the half-bandgap.

We report what is to our knowledge the first experimental evidence of nonlinear beam displacement in a strip-loaded GaAs/AlGaAs multiple-quantum-well waveguide with an asymmetric, nonlinear cladding. An intensity-dependent spatial displacement of ~2 mum was observed for the guided mode at a wavelength of 1.55 mum. Numerical simulations that correspond to the experiment are also presented. The device has the potential of providing a soliton-emission-based, ultrafast all-optical switch.

Soliton-emitting AlGaAs waveguide.

Simulations of soliton emission and propagation in a linear AlGaAs waveguide with one nonlinear cladding are presented. The device, which has realistic parameters, operates below half the bandgap and emits light into the cladding for a given input power. The use of selective disordering of the MQW guiding layer to realize the linear/nonlinear sections is discussed.

Bright temporal solitonlike pulses in self-defocusing AlGaAs waveguides near 800 nm.

We report the experimental observation of bright temporal solitonlike pulses propagating in a material with a negative nonlinearity and positive (normal) dispersion. We believe this to be the first observation of bright solitonic pulses in a material with a negative Kerr nonlinearity. We have observed a gradual narrowing of the output pulse width as a function of increasing input power, and our results agree well with simulations.