New polarization-insensitive antiresonant reflecting optical waveguide (ARROW-B)

A type of antiresonant reflecting optical waveguide (ARROW-B) is proposed to reduce the polarization dependence of propagation loss in ARROW. A low-loss propagation (<1 dB/cm) for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes is demonstrated. The features of the conventional waveguide, ARROW, and ARROW-B are summarized. The conventional ARROW is advantageous in constructing some functional devices such as a waveguide-type polarizer or wavelength demultiplexer. On the other hand, the ARROW-B seems to be suitable for applications requiring a primarily polarization-insensitive function, such as optical interconnection.<>