Activation of localized structures in broad area VCSELs using electro-optic funnel waveguides

One of the main hurdles of photonics is storing temporarily information directly from an optical stream. An ideal platform is that of VCSELs that, when externally driven by a coherent laser field and operated below threshold, can support stable localized light structures [1]. We demonstrate the switching on of an 11 µm (Full-Width-at-Half-Maximum, FWHM) localized optical structure inside a broad area (200 µm-diameter) VCSEL cavity through an electro-activated funnel waveguide structure in KLTN [2]. We are also able to show that the localized structure can be turned off by tuning the phase of the writing beam and then is bistable on a homogeneous background [3].