The effect of excited leaky waves on the transient non-linear optical response of planar semiconductor resonators

The optically non-linear response of arbitrary planar semiconductor resonators (microresonators) is studied theoretically. We use a versatile approach that takes into account the finite beam width as well as pulse length of the incident light, and incorporates the non-linearity consistently. The intensity-dependent non-linearity of semiconductors is described by appropriate phenomenological models. We show that the propagation characteristic of the leaky waves excited controls the response behaviour of the resonators. Conditions for switching and optical bistability are identified. The effect of various parameters on the response is studied numerically.