Absorption switching and bistability in InSb

For a temperature-dependent absorption appropriate to a thermally shifting semiconductor band-edge at low temperatures, or to a broadening Urbach tail at high temperatures, the criteria for pure absorptive bistability are shown to be (i) a₀L <0.18 (independent of the thermal coefficients) and (ii) AI₀>2.7 T₀. L is the sample thickness, a₀ the initial absorption coefficient, A is a thermal constant, T₀ is the temperature coefficient of the absorption and I₀ is the incident irradiance. Observation of absorption switching and of purely absorptive bistability under such conditions is reported for InSb near 77 K. © 1984.