Abstract

All-optical light control plays an important role in optical signal processing and communications. In this Letter, we demonstrate an all-optical inverter using carbon nanotube (CNT)-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) thin film and obtain a long-time stable output due to the environmental insensitivity of the device. The thermo-optic effect in the CNT-PVA thin film generates a thermal lens and modifies the beam propagation in the thin film. The obtained all-optical inverter has a front (trailing) time constant of ∼55 μs (44 μs) for 1550 nm signal pulses and ∼7 kHz response bandwidth.

© 2020 Chinese Laser Press

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