One-dimensional coupled cavities photonic crystal filters with tapered Bragg mirrors

The performance of one-dimensional (1D) coupled cavities photonic crystal (PC) filters has been analyzed by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. It is shown that the addition of tapered Bragg mirrors at each side of the cavities, to create near-Gaussian field profiles for the cavity modes, results in the prediction of near flat-top passband filters with high out-of-band rejection ratio and near unity transmission. The tapered structures suppress the vertical radiation loss to allow optimization of the number of mirror periods for the best filter response whilst guaranteeing high transmission. A critical coupling condition (k = 2L_out/L_in = 1) for flat-top responses in doubly coupled cavities filters is proposed in the tapered structures. An optimized filter for 100 GHz optical communication system are demonstrated with 1 dB bandwidth of 0.17 nm, roll-off of 0.6 dB/GHz, out-of-band signal rejection of 33 dB and transmission of 95%. Further improvement of roll-off and out-of-band rejection is demonstrated in a triply coupled cavities filter.     

Ultrafast photonic crystal optical switching

Photonic crystal, a novel and artificial photonic material with periodic dielectric distribution, possesses photonic bandgap and can control the propagation states of photons. Photonic crystal has been considered to be a promising candidate for the future integrated photonic devices. The properties and the fabrication method of photonic crystal are expounded. The progresses of the study of ultrafast photonic crystal optical switching are discussed in detail.     

Modes of coupled photonic crystal waveguides

We consider the modes of coupled photonic crystal waveguides. We find that the fundamental modes of these structures can be either even or odd, in contrast with the behavior in coupled conventional waveguides, in which the fundamental mode is always even. We explain this finding using an asymptotic model that is valid for long wavelengths.     

Transmission characteristics of photonic crystal waveguides with stubs and their application to optical filters

We study the transmission characteristics of a photonic crystal waveguide with a single stub of a finite length and propose a double-stub waveguide structure for its application to optical filters. The proposed device operates as a Fabry-Perot interferometer and can be used as a broad bandstop filter and a narrow bandpass filter. These filters are inherently compact and their center frequency is given by the resonant frequency of the stub.     

Multi-channel drop filters using photonic crystal ring resonators

In this paper, we propose a photonic crystal multi-channel drop filter based on ring resonators and investigate its properties numerically by using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. This structure is constructed in a two-dimensional square lattice. Our multi-channel drop filter is composed of three waveguides and three ring resonators. These ring resonators are located in two different regions (heterostructure) which each region has specific dielectric constant. At resonance of each ring resonator, the power with certain wavelength transferred to one of the three drop waveguides is found to be more than 81%.     

Channel drop filters using photonic crystal Fabry-Perot resonators

We have proposed channel drop filters based on a combination of Fabry-Perot (F-P) resonators in a two-dimensional photonic crystal with a triangular lattice of air holes. By tuning the separation, the radii of air holes between F-P resonators, and the length of two F-P resonators, we can selectively improve filter characteristics and obtain a forward-dropping efficiency of 95% and a backward-dropping efficiency of 90% at desired resonance frequencies. For the case where two F-P resonators are directly connected without separation, it forms a ring behavior and has a backward-dropping efficiency of 75% at resonance. Moreover, we investigate the dependence of optical bistability in one of the optimized resonators on initial frequency detunings. A switching speed of 2 ps is obtained. By decreasing the initial frequency detuning, overshoot on the switching-on power can be greatly suppressed.     

Multiple slow light bands in photonic crystal coupled resonator optical waveguides constructed with a portion of photonic quasicrystals

Coupled resonator optical waveguides (CROWs) in complex two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals (PCs) constructed with a portion of 12-fold photonic quasicrystals (PQs) are proposed. We show that enhanced transmission and slow light can be simultaneously achieved in such waveguides as well as general CROWs. Moreover, due to higher degree of flexibility and tunability of PQs for defect mode properties compared to conventional periodic PCs, multiple slow light bands can be flexibly obtained in CROWs constructed with complex 2D PCs. Our results may lead to the development of a variety of novel ultracompact devices for photonic integrated circuits.     

Antiresonant reflecting photonic crystal optical waveguides

We propose a simple analytical theory for low-index core photonic bandgap optical waveguides based on an antiresonant reflecting guidance mechanism. We identify a new regime of guidance in which the spectral properties of these structures are largely determined by the thickness of the high-index layers and the refractive-index contrast and are not particularly sensitive to the period of the cladding layers. The attenuation properties are controlled by the number of high/low-index cladding layers. Numerical simulations with the beam propagation method confirm the predictions of the analytical model. We discuss the implications of the results for photonic bandgap fibers.     

Wide-field-of-view narrow-band spectral filters based on photonic crystal nanocavities

We describe a novel approach to implementing wide-field-of-view narrow-band spectral filters, using an array of resonant nanocavities consisting of periodic defects in a two-dimensional three-material photonic-crystal nanostructure. We analyze the transmissivity of this type of filter for a range of wavelengths and in-plane incidence angles as a function of the defect's refractive index, the number of layers in the photonic-crystal reflectors, and the period of the defects and find that this structure diminishes the angular sensitivity of the resonance condition relative to that of a standard multilayer filter.     

Structural rocking filters in highly birefringent photonic crystal fiber

We report what we believe is the first example of efficient rocking filter formation in polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber. Very high coupling efficiencies (as much as -23.5-dB suppression of the input polarization) and loss of < 0.02 dB were achieved for fibers as short as 11 mm. The filters, which we prepared by periodic mechanical twisting and heating with a scanned CO2 laser beam, are highly compact, and they are expected to be temperature stable.     

Double-state controllable optical switching through three tunnel-coupled quantum dots inside waveguide coupled photonic crystal microcavity

We study optical transmission properties of a combined system which is composed of a photonic crystal (PC) microcavity with low quality factor Q, a triple quantum dot (QD) embedded in cavity and two parallel waveguides. We demonstrate that low coupling strength (i.e., the weak coupling regime) between a cavity and a dot, by means of electron tunnel-induced coupling, can lead to a type of double-state controllable optical switching under the experimentally available parameter conditions.     

Nonlinear photonic crystal microdevices for optical integration

A four-port nonlinear photonic crystal system is discussed that exhibits optical bistability with negligible backscattering to the inputs, making it particularly suitable for integration with other active devices on the same chip. Devices based on this system can be made to be small [O(lambda3)] in volume, have a nearly instantaneous response, and consume only a few milliwatts of power. Among many possible applications, we focus on an all-optical transistor and integrated optical isolation.     

Integrating liquid crystal based optical devices in photonic crystal fibers

Liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibers form a versatile and robust platform for designing optical fiber devices, which are highly tunable and exhibit novel optical properties for manipulation of guided light. We present fiber devices for spectral filtering and polarization control/analysis.     

All optical microwave photonic filters with a round-trip configuration

We propose novel photonic microwave multi-tap filters using a section of Hi-Bi fiber in a round-trip configuration, together with their application in a 20 km single mode fiber (SMF) radio-over-fiber (RoF) link. We demonstrate for the first time that the effect of chromatic dispersion in these multi-tap filters can be reduced in an RoF link when a linearly chirped fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is adopted. This result can be used to combat radio frequency power fading in an RoF link. The configurations are free from optical coherent interference and phase noise. Measured results show 3-tap filters with notch rejections greater than 35 dB and suppression of the level of secondary sidelobes by adjusting a polarization controller. PACS 42.81.-I; 42.81.Gs; 07.50.Qx     

Optical channel drop filters based on photonic crystal ring resonators

A new optical channel drop filters (CDFs) configuration based on photonic crystals ring resonators (PCRRs) is provided. The transmission characteristics for single-ring and multiple-ring configurations have been investigated by using the two-dimensional (2D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique in triangular lattice photonic crystal (PC) silicon rods. Both forward and backward dropping were achieved in dual-ring PCRR structures. In this filter, 100% drop efficiency and acceptable quality factor can be obtained at 1550 nm. The present device can be used in the future photonic integrated circuits.     

Synchronously pumped photonic crystal fiber-based optical parametric oscillator

We report the development of a compact, tunable synchronously pumped photonic crystal fiber (PCF)-based optical parametric oscillator (FOPO). The oscillator is pumped using a gain-switched laser diode producing 220?ps pulses around 1062?nm, amplified in a ytterbium doped amplifier to peak powers of 3.5?kW. The FOPO produces anti-Stokes pulses at wavelengths between 757 and 773?nm, with durations of 150?ps at average output powers exceeding 290?mW. The output slope efficiency of the device varies with output wavelength from 1.9 to 6.0%.     

Controlled optical photonic crystal AND gate using nematic liquid crystal layers

Two optical AND gates built in 2D photonic crystal (PhC) platform have been proposed and numerically simulated using 2D finite element method (FEM). The suggested logic gates consist of five PhC waveguides and silicon annular ring resonator filled by nematic liquid crystal (NLC) of type E7. The first proposed AND gate can handle two inputs and support two operating wavelengths, λ = 1.5 and 1.55 µm. However, the second proposed AND gate can handle three inputs at λ = 1.5 µm. The reported logic gates offer high and low transmission levels with a threshold of 0.5 and an ultra-high bit rate of not less than 0.3 Tbits/s. Further, the suggested AND gates operation can be switched off by using the NLC layer.     

Rod type photonic crystal optical line defect waveguides with optical modulations

This paper reports the design and principles of two dimensional rod-type photonic crystal (PhC) line defect waveguides for bandgap based optical waveguiding, static modulation and high speed dynamic optical switchings. Experiments were carried out for both high aspect ratio and slab type configurations. The differences in waveguiding mechanisms for the two configurations resulting from the presence of bottom cladding systems, without out-of-plane symmetries are compared for their advantages and disadvantages. In particular, the designs of non-top-clad optical waveguides of layout sizes within micrometers and operational frequencies centered at the optical communication wavelength of 1550 nm, were investigated for the feasibility of large scale integration by batch fabrication process techniques – such as sub-micrometer optical lithography etc. Based on such techniques, specifically designed dispersions of line defect PhC waveguides within a missing row of PhC rods were accompanied by optical testing structures of suitable coupling modes. Optical measurements of waveguiding coefficients were therefore enabled for the different configurations, together with further static and dynamic modulations. PACS 42.70.Qs