Switching Elements Based on the Spatial Optical Soliton Propagation

The soliton generation and trapping in nonlinear waveguide can be used to implement ultrafast, all-optical switches. In this paper, the phenomenon of the soliton emission from a nonlinear interface of a symmetrical waveguide and of the soliton trapping are analyzed by simulations performed using the beam propagation method. We show the correlation between the input optical power and the length at which the soliton generation occurs, along the propagation direction of the single-mode nonlinear waveguide. Based on these principles, new all-optical switching elements and logical gates can be designed, which exhibit many important advantages on the classical electro-optical devices.