Optical limiting and switching of short pulses by use of a nonlinear photonic bandgap structure with a defect

Abstract

An extension of the recently introduced nonlinear finite-difference time-domain technique [Opt. Lett.21, 1138 (1996)] for the study of electromagnetic wave propagation in a non-linear Kerr medium to include absorption is presented. The optical limiting and switching of short pulses by use of a nonlinear quarter-wave reflector (a one-dimensional photonic bandgap structure) with a defect is studied. Comparison with an optical limiter and with an optical switch with a perfect nonlinear quarter-wave reflector shows that introducing a defect can improve the performance of these devices.