Low-power nanophotonic devices based on photonic crystals towards dense photonic network on chip

The authors review their recent studies on various nanophotonic devices including all-optical switches, optical memories, electro-optic modulators, photo-detectors and lasers, all of which are based on photonic crystal (PhC) nanocavities. The strong light confinement achieved in PhC nanocavities has enabled these devices with ultrasmall footprint and ultralow power/energy consumption. These characteristics are ideally suited for constructing dense photonic network on chip, which will overcome the limitation of future CMOS chips in terms of high-speed operation with less energy consumption and heat generation.