Switching energy limitation in all‐optical switching due to group velocity dispersion of highly nonlinear optical waveguides

We discuss the limitations of all‐optical switching due to group velocity dispersion (GVD) in highly nonlinear optical waveguides. The lower limit of switching energy is primarily determined by a figure of merit which is the ratio of the nonlinear refractive index to the GVD. GVD values of several kinds of highly nonlinear optical materials are measured, the figure of merit for each material is estimated, and appropriate operational conditions for each material are discussed.

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