Tunable mesoscopic structures for next generation photonic networks

This paper discusses the tremendous opportunities for tunable components and devices based on mesoscopic structures. We describe photonic crystal based circuits in which mechanical or nonlinear mechanisms are exploited. We also stress that such dispersion engineered artificial materials allow one to revisit the design of integrated photonic components. One can consider using local structural features in a monolithic material host, to define optical functionality. This is illustrated with a photonic crystal structure that can both slow an optical packet and perhaps provide a mechanism simultaneously for all optical switching or wavelength conversion.