Optical switching in metallic photonic crystal slabs with photoaddressable polymers

We report on a metal-polymer compound material with optical properties that can be reversibly switched all-optically. The key element is a metallic photonic crystal slab with an additional layer of photoaddressable material that provides a large variable birefringence and sharp resonances. Pump-probe experiments show a shift of the photonic crystal resonances that depends on the pump polarization and on the exposure. Comparison of the results with calculations from a scattering-matrix theory allows one to determine the refractive index changes for different polarization geometries and to model our compound material quantitatively. PACS 42.65.Pc; 42.70.Jk; 42.70.Qs; 78.67.-n     

Optical properties of the direct-coupled Y-branch filtersby using photonic crystal slabs

We fabricated a new type of two-dimensional photonic crystal slab filter. The resonant cavities were directly put into the waveguide arms. The optical transmissions of the filters were measured and the results show that the optimized two-channel filters give good intensity distribution at the output ports of the waveguide. A minimum wavelength spacing of 5~nm of the filter outputs isrealized by accurately controlling the size of the resonant cavities.     

Optical properties of the two-port resonant tunneling filters in two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs

We have designed and fabricated two types of two-port resonant tunneling filters with a triangular air-hole lattice in two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs.In order to improve the filtering efficiency,a feedback method is introduced by closing the waveguide.It is found that the relative position between the closed waveguide boundary and the resonator has an important impact on the dropping efficiency.Based on our analyses,two different types of filters are designed.The transmission spectra and scattering-light far-field patterns are measured,which agree well with theoretical prediction.In addition,the resonant filters are highly sensitive to the size of the resonant cavities,which are useful for practical applications.     

Design of annular photonic crystal slabs

We present the design of realistic annular photonic-crystal (APC) structures of finite thickness aiming to obtain a complete photonic bandgap (PBG). The APC is composed of dielectric rods and circular air holes in a triangular lattice such that each rod is centered within each hole. The optical and geometrical values of the structure are studied, and the interplay between various design parameters is highlighted. The coupled role of the inner-dielectric-rod radius, material types, and slab thickness is investigated. It is shown that the slab thickness is vital to obtain a complete photonic bandgap below the light line, and the specific value of the inner-dielectric-rod radius to sustain the maximum PBG if the hole radius is fixed at proper value is found.     

Cavity modes in one-dimensional photonic crystal slabs

A theoretical study of cavity modes in one-dimensional photonic crystal slabs embedded in Silicon-on-Insulator structures is reported. Three different methods are employed, namely a guided-mode expansion in which the coupling to radiative modes is treated by perturbation theory, a grating or scattering-matrix method for calculating the surface reflectance, and a Fourier modal expansion for in-plane transmission calculations. It is shown that all methods lead to the same values for the quality factors of cavity modes for both first- and second-order Bragg mirrors. We conclude that the quality factor of a cavity mode can be determined with optical reflectance from the surface of the slab.     

Band structures in nonlinear photonic crystal slabs

The finite-difference time-domain method was used to analyze band structures in two-dimensional Kerr-nonlinear photonic crystal slabs. A triangular lattice of circular air rods was considered. Results show red-shifting of the band structure due to the nonlinearity and the incident intensity. The red-shift of the band gap between the first and the second bands is maximal when the air rod radius is in the range 0.2a to 0.25a, where a is the period.     

Gap maps, diffraction losses, and exciton–polaritons in photonic crystal slabs

A theory of photonic crystal (PhC) slabs is described, which relies on an expansion in the basis of guided modes of an effective homogeneous waveguide and on treating the coupling to radiative modes and the resulting losses by perturbation theory. The following applications are discussed for the case of a high-index membrane: gap maps for photonic lattices in a waveguide; exciton–polariton states, when the PhC slab contains a quantum well with an excitonic resonance; propagation losses of line-defect modes in W1 waveguides, also in the presence of disorder; the quality factors of photonic nanocavities. In particular, we predict that disorder-induced losses below 0.2 dB/mm can be achieved in state-of-the-art samples by increasing the channel width of W1 waveguides.     

Optical trapping of metal-dielectric nanoparticle clusters near photonic crystal microcavities

We predict the formation of optically trapped, metal-dielectric nanoparticle clusters above photonic crystal microcavities. We determine the conditions on particle size and position for a gold particle to be trapped above the microcavity. We then show that strong field redistribution and enhancement near the trapped gold nanoparticle results in secondary trapping sites for a pair of dielectric nanoparticles.     

Correlation effects in disordered metallic photonic crystal slabs

We analyze the influence of correlations on the optical properties of disordered metallic photonic crystal slabs experimentally and theoretically. Different disorder models with different nearest-neighbor correlations are considered. We present a theory that allows us to quantitatively calculate the optical properties of the different samples. We find that different kinds of correlations produce characteristic spectral features such as peak reduction and inhomogeneous broadening. These features are caused by reduced excitation efficiencies and the excitation of multiple resonances.     

Out-of-plane scattering in 1-D photonic crystal slabs

We present a detailed study of out-of-plane scattering losses in a 1D approximation of 2D photonic crystal slabs. In 2D photonic crystals with a waveguide structure in the third dimension, the periodic structure (in a lot of applications a 2D arrangement of holes etched through the core and cladding) will cause light to scatter out of the waveguide plane. We studied the out-of-plane scattering losses of these holes using a 2D approximation of this 3D structure, with etched slots instead of holes. Our simulation techniques included mode expansion with PML and FDTD. We will present the influence of the refractive index contrast between core and cladding of the layered structure. We show that the losses increase with higher index contrast between core and cladding, but that with very high index contrasts and under the right circumstances light can be coupled into lossless Bloch modes.     

Waveguide plasmon polaritons in metal-dielectric photonic crystal slabs

The optical properties of arrays of metallic (gold) nanowires deposited on dielectric substrates are studied both theoretically and experimentally. Depending on the substrate, Wood’s anomalies of two types are observed in the transmission spectra of such planar metal-dielectric photonic crystals. One of them is diffraction (Rayleigh) anomalies associated with the opening of diffraction channels to the substrate or air with an increase in the frequency of the incident light. The other type of Wood’s anomaly is resonance anomalies associated with excitation of surface quasi-guided modes in the substrate. Coupling of the quasi-guided modes with individual nanowire plasmons brings about the formation of waveguide plasmon polaritons. This effect is accompanied by a strong rearrangement of the optical spectrum and can be utilized to control the photonic bands of metal-dielectric photonic crystal slabs.     

Scattering at sidewall roughness in photonic crystal slabs

We have simulated the effect of sidewall roughness in photonic-crystallike structures with different vertical refractive-index contrast. We treated the scattering off a sidewall irregularity as a radiating dipole excited by the incident waveguide mode. We show that the loss that is due to this scattering is significantly larger for structures with a low refractive-index contrast (such as GaAs/AlGaAs waveguides) than for structures with a high vertical index contrast (such as silicon-on-insulators and membranes).     

Optimized focusing properties of photonic crystal slabs

We propose an optimization procedure for focusing operation in finite two dimensional photonic crystal slabs. The device consists of a triangular lattice air holes etched in a semiconductor matrix at a nanometer scale to operate at 1.55 μm. To reach simultaneously an effective refractive index equal to −1 along with a very high transmission coefficient whatever optical wave incidence, the parameters as the lattice period and/or filling factor are precisely adjusted depending on the slab thickness. The method relies on Fabry-Perot resonances engineering in the air/crystal/air cavity constituting the lens.     

Optical trirefringence in photonic crystal waveguides

We demonstrate that 2D photonic crystals can possess optical trirefringence in which there are six field orientations for which linear incident light is not perturbed on reflection or transmission. Such a property is rigorously forbidden in homogeneous nonmagnetic dielectrics which can possess only optical birefringence. We experimentally demonstrate this phenomena in silicon-based mesostructures formed from photonic crystal waveguides embedded in a Fabry-Perot cavity. Multirefringence is controlled by the presence of submicron dielectric patterning and is well explained by an exact scattering matrix theory.     

Self-guiding of infrared and visible light in photonic crystal slabs

We experimentally demonstrate diffractionless guidance and efficient routing of light in two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs at infrared and visible wavelengths. Our particular design allows for simultaneous guidance of TE and TM polarized light beams at the same wavelength. Routing performance and possibilities of propagation loss reduction are investigated experimentally. Experimental results are in excellent agreement with three-dimensional simulations.     

Band gap engineering in simultaneous phononic and photonic crystal slabs

We discuss the simultaneous existence of phononic and photonic band gaps in two types of phononic crystals slabs, namely periodic arrays of nanoholes in a Si membrane and of Si nanodots on a SiO₂ membrane. In the former geometry, we investigate in detail both the boron nitride lattice and the square lattice with two atoms per unit cell (these include the square, triangular and honeycomb lattices as particular cases). In the latter geometry, some preliminary results are reported for a square lattice.     

Visual device for pressure measurement using photonic crystal slabs

We propose and demonstrate a visual, all-optical pressure-measuring device composed of a flexible membrane dilating toward a photonic crystal slab. Due to its transparency and capability to be miniaturized, it may be integrated on the inner side of an artificial lens and directly measure the eye's intraocular pressure. Using crossed polarization filters for the readout process, we obtain a contrast enhancement for the circular contact area of the membrane with the photonic crystal slab. We demonstrate that the visible circle increases as a function of pressure.     

QED effects in Cu-like Pb recombination resonances near threshold

In an electron-ion recombination study with Pb53+ dielectronic recombination resonances are found for as low as approximately 10(-3)-10(-4) eV relative energy. The resonances have been calculated by relativistic many-body perturbation theory and through comparison with experiment the Pb53+(4p(1/2)-4s(1/2)) energy splitting of approximately 118 eV is determined with an accuracy comparable to the position of the first few resonances, i.e., approximately 10(-3) eV. Such a precision provides a test of QED in a many-body environment at a level which can still not be reached in calculations.     

Coherent control of ultrahigh-frequency acoustic resonances in photonic crystal fibers

Ultrahigh frequency acoustic resonances (approximately 2 GHz) trapped within the glass core (approximately 1 microm diameter) of a photonic crystal fiber are selectively excited through electrostriction using laser pulses of duration 100 ps and energy 500 pJ. Using precisely timed sequences of such driving pulses, we achieve coherent control of the acoustic resonances by constructive or destructive interference, demonstrating both enhancement and suppression of the vibrations. A sequence of 27 resonantly-timed pulses provides a 100-fold increase in the amplitude of the vibrational mode. The results are explained and interpreted using a semianalytical theory, and supported by precise numerical simulations of the complex light-matter interaction.