Design and simulation of novel optoelectronic interconnect using photonic crystal virtual waveguide with robust fabrication and misalignment tolerances

A virtual waveguide system, utilizing self-collimated beams and photonic band gap mirrors in photonic crystals, is evaluated for applicability in an on-chip interconnect system. Simulations using the plane wave expansion and finite difference time domain methods are utilized to design and evaluate the theoretical performance of these virtual waveguides. The effect of systematic and random fabrication errors on the performance is characterized. Coupling efficiency is virtually unaffected by misalignment, but is found to be a strong function of the length of the waveguide and the frequency of light. Additional routing capabilities of sharp 90° turns and signal crossings with no crosstalk are demonstrated. Photonic crystal virtual waveguides are ideal structures for on-chip optical signal routing.