Cavity-solitons switching in semiconductor microcavities

Cavity solitons (CSs) are localized structures appearing as intensity peaks in the homogeneous background of the field emitted by a nonlinear microresonator. We experimentally and theoretically study the switch-on process of cavity solitons in semiconductor amplifiers. The switching time has two contributions: a lethargic lapse following the application of the switching pulse and a characteristic buildup time. While the latter is not significantly affected by the control parameters, the former crucially depends on them. Optimization of the parameters leads to a switch-on time of less than one nanosecond, assessing the CS competitiveness for all-optical applications.