Analysis of a semiconductor semimagnetic microcavity for optical amplification and wavelength conversion applications

Abstract

The importance of nonlinear optical devices is increasing due to their hopeful characteristics such as small size, high speed or even low power consumption. These devices integrated in all-optical systems achieve the best results because of the elimination of optoelectronic or electro optic conversions that imply great reductions in these advantages. Therefore the main effort should be directed to make as many functions as possible by optical means. Among these functions, wavelength conversion or amplification seem to be likely to implement with a nonlinear device. In this work a structure called Semiconductor Semimagnetic Microcavity (SSM), for optical amplification and wavelength conversion, is introduced and studied. This study requires a suitable method for nonlinear series devices. It must take into account each wave and its relationship with the others. An Extended Yeh matrix is appropriate for the characterization of this structure. The method reveals that if the microcavity is exposed to an input signal and a pumping input signal and also matches the conditions of degenerate four-wave mixing, another wave at a different wavelength appears. What is more, the original input signal becomes greatly amplified depending on the pumping input signal. The process of obtaining these results with the Extended Yeh matrix applied to a SSM is shown. Optical wavelength conversion and optical amplification in a microcavity is demonstrated by means of this matricial method.