Abstract

It has previously been shown that direct gap semiconductors may be used as limiters with high dynamic range and low limiting energies for picosecond pulses of light effective over the range of two-photon absorption.¹ For nanosecond pulses, however, these limiters exhibited a much smaller dynamic range. On the other hand, studies of nonlinear absorption and refraction in chloro-aluminum-phthalocyanine (CAP) dissolved in methanol have shown that this material exhibits good limiting properties for nanosecond pulse widths.² Being in the form of a liquid solution, this material also has the property of self-healing from damage. These complementary properties suggest the possibility of using these two materials configured in tandem as a hybrid limiter.

© 1990 Optical Society of America