BISTABLE OUTPUT OF AN OPTICALLY PUMPED VERTICAL-CAVITY SURFACE-EMITTING LASER

We report optically bistable output of a vertical-cavity surface-emitt ing laser (VCSEL). The GaAs-AlGaAs VCSEL was optically pumped with a c w Ti:sapphire laser that was tuned near a cavity resonance of the VCSE L. Using a simple Fabry-Perot model, we demonstrate that the bistabili ty is primarily dispersive and not absorptive. Although the threshold power is high because of poor sample quality, the contrast is very lar ge; in fact, it approaches infinity. (C) 1997 Optical Society of Ameri ca [S0740-3224(97)00109-4].