Low-threshold bistability in nonlinear microring tower resonator

Abstract

Microring tower resonators, which are a chain of microring resonators stacked on top of each other, are of great interest for nonlinear optics due to their unique features such as very high compactness, coupling efficiency and quality factor. In this research, we investigate the optical bistability in microring tower (MRT) with Kerr nonlinearity by using the coupled mode theory, and demonstrate how a proper defect into the structure can lead to low threshold bistability. In particular, we observed optical bistability in nonlinear defect modes with switching power as low as 165 μW through numerical calculations in a structure with a overall loss on the order of 0.01 mm. In addition, we also develop an analytical model that excellently gives the position of defect modes in linear regime.