Room-temperature excitonic optical properties in ZnSe-ZnS/GaAs multiple quantum wells

Abstract

Excitonic optical bistability with nanosecond switching time in ZnSe-ZnS multiple quantum wells (MQWs) with a Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity is investigated at room temperature. The research result indicates that the threshold and contrast ratio for the optical bistability in ZnSe-ZnS MQWs with a FP cavity are about 0.2 MW/cm2 and 6:1, respectively. On the basis of the room temperature excitonic absorption spectra obtained here, we attribute the major nonlinear mechanism for the optical bistability to the excitonic saturating absorption due to phase space filling of excitonic states and excitonic band broadening.