All-optical digitizing of laser transmission through thin-film GaAs on glass

Abstract

All-optical transmission switching is realized by solely interfacing laser emissions at 532 nm and 633 nm in thin-film GaAs on glass. Specifically, from the viewpoint of material requirements, the switching concept is extremely undemanding. The results reveal that the inherent application potential of absorbing materials in digital photonics is so far not fully comprehended and thin films may play a part in future all-optical concepts beyond expectations.