All-optical bistability based on cavity resonances in nonlinear photonic crystal slab-reflector-based Fabry–Perot cavity

Abstract

In this paper, the optical bistability response of a nonlinear photonic crystal slab-reflector-based Fabry–Perot cavity (PhCS-FPC) based on cavity resonances was numerically simulated. Three-dimensional finite-difference time domain method (3D-FDTD) was applied to investigate the effect of the cavity length, wavelength, and maximum intensity of the incident light on the optical bistability behavior of PhCS-FPC around cavity resonances. Results showed that, by carefully adjusting the cavity length, operating wavelength, and maximum input intensity, an efficient optical bistable system at telecommunication wavelength (1550 nm) with a low threshold intensity of about 30 kW/cm2 is achieved. For the first time, numerical calculations showed that the bistable switching intensity and the width of the bistable region are dependent on the maximum intensity of the input field. Low bistable switching intensity, insensitivity to the polarization of the incident light, and the potential for on-chip photonic and electronic integration make PhCS-FPC a promising candidate for all-optical bistable devices.