CHARACTERIZATION OF AN ALL-OPTICAL DEVICE BASED ON ORGANIC MATERIALS

We present numerical and first experimental results for an all-optical switching device. The device consists of a periodically modulated non linear waveguide, where so-called gap solitons stabilize the switching process. The fabrication of Bragg gratings in different polymeric fil ms, e.g. poly(phenylene vinylene), polydiacetylene or polystyrene by e xcimer laser photoablation was tested. In preparation of further exper iments numerical calculations were performed to characterize the devic e under realistic conditions, including position dependent index modul ations and absorption losses. In further time-dependent simulations th e transition from the reflecting to the transparent state was investig ated in detail. As a main result, the threshold intensity turns out to be of the order of 100 MW/cm(2) for a realistic device layout and wel l-known materials, even in the presence of absorption losses. Furtherm ore, with this information an optimized, nonuniform Bragg reflector wa s designed and numerically characterized, considering the typical opti cal properties of monocrystalline polydiacetylene.