New type of Y-branch power splitter and beam expander based on eliminating anomalous reflection effect

We propose a new type of Y-branch power splitter and beam expander with scales of microns in two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals (PCs) by drilling air holes in a silicon slice. Its functionality and performance are numerically investigated and simulated by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Simulation results show that the splitter can split a TE polarized light beam into two parallel sub-beams and the distance between them is tunable by changing the parameters of the splitter, while the expander can expand a narrow beam into a wider one, which is realized in an integrated optical circuit. The proposed device is based on the avoiding of anomalous reflection effect and the coupling transmission of defect modes of the interfaces.