Regenerative pulsations and thermal effects in an optical bistable GaAs etalon

Regenerative pulsations have been observed in an intrinsic optically bistableGaAs etalon. Two competing effects (excitonic and thermal) having different response times are shown to cause the phenomenon. A discussion of the nonlinear Fabry-Perot device used is followed by a presentation of the experimental results. Computer simulations based on the theory mimic experimental data and approaches to minimize thermal effects are discussed, pointing to the reduction of unsaturable absorption as a key factor in optimizing this kind of device. x