Optically induced switching in CdZnTe

Bulk CdTe has interesting optical properties around 1.5 um, namely efficient photorefractivity and high electro-optic coefficient. Recently, optical induced switching has been demonstrated in CdTe:In. CdTe-based switches have two main drawbacks: the extremely long T,~ (in the millisecond range) and the build up of space charged regions in the material, completely bleaching out Pockels effect in long term operation. The aim of this communication is to demonstrate that Toff can be limited to the nanosecond range and long term polarization effects can be avoided by the use of a CdZnTe crystals as electro-optic material.