Optically-cascaded, multistage switching operation of a multifunctional binary optical/optoelectronic switch

Optically cascadable and multifunctional binary optical switches consisting of AlGaAs-GaAs vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), and p-i-n photodetectors (PINs) have been realized. Each switching element consists of a pair of PIN/HBT/VCSEL switches that can perform optical switching and routing at a data rate of 100 Mb/s, and optoelectronic signal conversion at a data rate of 100 Mb/s, while achieving a peak dc optical gain of 18 and an ac optical gain of 4. Optically-cascaded, multistage switching operation has been demonstrated using two linear arrays of HBT/PIN/VCSEL switches, with an overall cascaded dc optical gain of 50 and an ac gain of 8.