Optical bistable operations in AlGaAs-based photonic crystal slab microcavity at telecommunication wavelengths

We report on bistable operations in a microcavity formed on an AlGaAs-based pbotonic crystal slab at telecommunication wavelengths. We designed the cavity to achieve a high quality (Q)-factor, while maintaining a small mode volume; this was accomplished by removal of a single air hole. The fabricated microcavity exhibited a resonant peak with a Q-factor of 1900 at 1548 run. In nonlinear transmission measurement, when the input power was increased, a bistable characteristic which was dependent on the detuned wavelength from the resonance was observed. The bistability was considered to originate from thermal nonlinearity due to two-photon absorption.