Abstract

The Kerr-nonlinear effect in combination with resonator structures shows large potential for ultrafast all-optical signal processing and may be of great importance for future optical communication systems. A major limitation to its applicability is however the existence of two-photon absorption. This has already been discussed in literature for a homogeneous structure. In this paper, the effect of two-photon absorption on the operation of Kerr-nonlinear resonators is studied and the applicability of standard semiconductor systems for all-optical nonlinear switching is evaluated.