Static and Dynamic Properties of Nonlinear Semiconductor Laser Amplifiers

Optical memory, differential amplification and optical limiting have been experimentally achieved in an AlGaAs laser amplifier, demonstrating the feasibility of nonlinear optical signal processing using semiconductor laser amplifiers. The results of the analysis of the dynamic properties of semiconductor laser amplifiers are also presented; subnanosecond and femto-Joule switching, critical slowing down and output spiking due to self-tuning at the onset of light injection have been analyzed.