JPH06175168A - Optical switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an ultrafast switching element with higher performance index and low consumption of electric power by providing both sides of polysilane with a Fabry-Perot resonator. CONSTITUTION:This optical switch 10 as an optical bistable element has a Fabry-Perot resonator 14, 14 on both sides of methylphenylpolysilane 12. As for the polysilane, straight-chain polysilane and three-dimensionally crosslinkined polysilane are used. The straight-chain polysilane is expressed by formula I and the three-dimensionally crosslinked polysilane is expressed by formula II. In formulae I and II, R is a hydrogen atom, alkyl group of 1-14 carbon number, aryl group, alkoxy group of 1-10 carbon number, amino group, silyl group or its deriv., and n is 100 to about 10000. By using the polysilane as an optical bistable element of an optical switch, consumed electric power can be decreased to 1/400 compared to polydiacetylene.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical switch which is an optical bistable element.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Since an optical switch is intended to switch the optical path, it is essential that the insertion loss when ON is low and the attenuation amount when OFF is large. Switching power, switching time, and switching delay time are also important evaluation items. In particular, in an ultra-high speed switching device such as an optical computer, not only downsizing but also power consumption is very important. In a switching element with a switching time of picoseconds to femtoseconds, the organic material plays the main role.

For example, a method using polydiacetylene has been proposed (Chemical Physics Le).
tters 133 (1987)). In this case, the nonlinear refractive index n ₂ of the material has a large value in the organic material system. However, since the absorption coefficient α ₀ is large,
The performance index M (= n ₂ / α ₀ ) from the viewpoint of power consumption is about 1
At present, it is bad as × 10 ⁻¹⁰ (cm ³ / W),
This power consumption (switching energy) is larger than that of semiconductor devices.

In view of the above problems, the present invention has switching energy equivalent to that of semiconductor devices, and
It is intended to provide an optical switch capable of achieving ultra-high speed.

[0005]

The optical switch of the present invention comprises:
An optical bistable device in which Fabry-Perot resonators are provided on both sides of polysilane.

As the polysilane, there are linear polysilane and polysilane having a three-dimensionally crosslinked structure.
The linear polysilane is as follows.

[0007]

[Chemical 1] However, R in the formula represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 14 carbon atoms, an aryl group, an alkoxy group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, an amino group, a silyl group or a derivative thereof, and n is 10
It is about 10,000.

The following are polysilanes having a three-dimensionally crosslinked structure.

[0009]

[Chemical 2] However, R in the formula represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 14 carbon atoms, an aryl group, an alkoxy group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, an amino group, a silyl group or a derivative thereof, and n is 10
It is about 10,000.

Or

[Chemical 3] However, R in the formula represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 14 carbon atoms, an aryl group, an alkoxy group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, an amino group, a silyl group or a derivative thereof, and X, Y and Z are respectively 10 to 10,000, and
Si-Si having two or more structural units shown by these
It is a network polymer having a bond as a skeleton. Further, these polymers may be polymers in which all or part of Si is Ge. Incidentally, these polymers are known,
It is produced by a known method using a monomer having each structural unit as a raw material. More specifically, a method of dechlorinating and polycondensing chlorosilanes in the presence of an alkali metal (kipping method), a method of dechlorinating and polycondensing chlorosilanes by electrode reduction, and a method of dehydrogenating hydrosilanes in the presence of a metal catalyst. Examples thereof include a method of polycondensation, a method of anionic polymerization of disylene cross-linked with biphenyl, and a method of ring-opening polymerization of cyclic silanes.

[0011]

[Operation] Linear polysilane is 10 ^-12 (es
u) has the third-order nonlinear optical constant, and n ₂ = 5 × 10
^{It is −14} (cm ² / W). However, the absorption coefficient α ₀ =
10 ^{- 6} for ^{(cm -1)} is, the figure of merit _{M = n 2 / α 0 =} 5 × 10 -8 (cm 3 / W).

This figure of merit M is about 400 times better than that of the polydiacetylene.

Therefore, when polysilane is used as an optical bistable element of an optical switch, power consumption can be reduced to 1/400 as compared with polydiacetylene.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an optical switch 10 which is an optical bistable element according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fabry-Perot resonators 14 and 14 are provided on both sides of a methylphenylpolysilane 12. It is a thing. This methylphenylpolysilane 16 has the following structure.

[0016]

[Chemical 4] With the optical switch 10 having the above configuration, when the YAG laser irradiates the laser light with the wavelength of 1.06 μm,
m light is transmitted.

[0017] FIG. 2 shows the switching times of the linear polysilane, a ^{10 -1} approximately ⁴ seconds. Therefore, it can be sufficiently used as a switching element requiring ultra-high speed such as an optical computer.

[0018]

As described above, according to the optical switch of the present invention, the figure of merit is improved, so that an ultrahigh-speed switching element can be realized with low power consumption.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an optical switch showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the switching time of linear polysilane.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Optical switch 12 ... Linear polysilane 14 ... Fabry-Perot resonator

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Koji Kawada 3-2 Uzumakai Shoji-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi Mansion 703, Kyoto

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An optical switch comprising Fabry-Perot resonators on both sides of polysilane.