Use of femtosecond square pulses to avoid pulse breakup in all-optical switching

The authors report measurements of ultrafast all-optical switching in dual-core fiber nonlinear couplers. By performing the measurements with square optical pulses, the pulse breakup which occurs in experiments performed by using conventional bell-shaped pulses is minimized. Compared to measurements performed by using conventional bell-shaped pulses, the measurements yield decreased switching power, a sharper switching transition, and improved power transfer. It is concluded that square pulse switching can be utilized to enhance the switching performance of any ultrafast all-optical switching device triggered by instantaneous intensity.<
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