Compact Optical Switches and Modulators Based on Dispersion Engineered Photonic Crystals

Author

O´Faolain, Liam ; Beggs, Daryl M. ; White, Thomas P. ; Kampfrath, Tobias ; Kuipers, Kobus ; Krauss, Thomas F.

Author_Institution

Sch. of Phys. & Astron., Univ. of St Andrews, St. Andrews, UK

Volume

2

Issue

3

fYear

2010

fDate

6/1/2010 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

404

Lastpage

414

Abstract

We use slow-light photonic crystals to enhance optical switching and modulation in silicon. By using dispersion-engineered designs, a switch as short as 5 ??m was achieved, in which we have demonstrated rerouting of optical pulses on a 3-ps time scale through the absorption of a femtosecond pulse. We additionally demonstrate a modulator with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) configuration with flat-band slow-light photonic crystal phase shifters that is designed to give a large group-index-bandwidth product. An extinction ratio in excess of 15 dB is obtained over the entire 11-nm bandwidth of the modulator.

Keywords

Mach-Zehnder interferometers; elemental semiconductors; high-speed optical techniques; integrated optics; nanophotonics; optical modulation; optical phase shifters; optical switches; photonic crystals; silicon; slow light; Mach-Zehnder interferometer; Si; dispersion engineered photonic crystals; extinction ratio; femtosecond pulse absorption; optical modulators; optical pulse rerouting; optical switches; phase shifters; silicon nanophotonics; size 5 mum; slow-light photonic crystals; time 3 ps; Absorption; Optical design; Optical interferometry; Optical modulation; Optical pulses; Optical switches; Phase modulation; Photonic crystals; Silicon; Ultrafast optics; Engineered photonic nanostructures; nonlinear effects; photonic crystals; silicon nanophotonics; slow light; ultrafast nonlinear processes;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Photonics Journal, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1943-0655

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JPHOT.2010.2047918

Filename

5446361