Parameter Investigation and Optimization for High-Speed Polarization-Bistable VCSEL Flip-Flops

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) have demonstrated significant potential for all-optical signal processing, especially in the realization of optical flip-flop devices. However, the theoretical relationship between the switching time and the intrinsic laser parameters remains largely unexplored. Our research conducts a numerical emulation utilizing the spin-flip model to analyze polarization switching behavior under polarized optical injection. The dependence of flip-flop switching time on laser internal parameters is systematically analyzed. Subsequent parameter optimization achieves minimized switching time, permitting high-speed operation at repetition frequencies as high as 10 GHz. Further improvements in repetition frequency are attainable by implementing injection detuning and carefully chosen injection intensity.