Induced free carrier modulation of photonic crystal optical intersection via localized optical absorption effect

This letter reports demonstration of optically induced signal modulation in two-dimensional photonic crystal (PhC) optical intersections. High resolution and high aspect ratio PhC was fabricated for optical communication wavelengths. Besides characterization of the silicon PhC static properties, dynamic modulations through spatially localized applications of high intensity pump radiation were also demonstrated to yield normalized modulations of 15dB for incident intensity of 70MW∕cm2—corresponding well with first principles simulations. The effective modulation range and pump limit of the method were therefore determined and the potential of such a modulation scheme as a practical means of developing tunable PhC devices was realized.

[1]  S. Teo,et al.  High resolution and aspect ratio two-dimensional photonic band-gap crystal , 2004 .

[2]  S. Yuan,et al.  General formula for coupling-loss characterization of single-mode fiber collimators by use of gradient-index rod lenses. , 1999, Applied optics.

[3]  Steven G. Johnson,et al.  High-density integrated optics , 1999 .

[4]  Toshihiko Baba,et al.  Light propagation characteristics of straight single-line-defect waveguides in photonic crystal slabs fabricated into a silicon-on-insulator substrate , 2002 .

[5]  S. Carroll.  Chance and necessity: the evolution of morphological complexity and diversity , 2001, Nature.

[6]  E. Yablonovitch,et al.  Inhibited spontaneous emission in solid-state physics and electronics. , 1987, Physical review letters.

[7]  Wang,et al.  Ultrafast recombination and trapping in amorphous silicon. , 1990, Physical review. B, Condensed matter.

[8]  Ralf B. Wehrspohn,et al.  Ultrafast band-edge tuning of a two-dimensional silicon photonic crystal via free-carrier injection , 2002 .

[9]  Willem L. Vos,et al.  Spatial homogeneity of optically switched semiconductor photonic crystals and of bulk semiconductors , 2005 .

[10]  Tuning of transmission peaks in two-dimensional semiconductor-based photonic crystals with line defects of cylinders , 2005 .

[11]  S Fan,et al.  Elimination of cross talk in waveguide intersections. , 1998, Optics letters.

[12]  Steven G. Johnson,et al.  Photonic-crystal slow-light enhancement of nonlinear phase sensitivity , 2002 .

[13]  Jeong-Bong Lee,et al.  Thermo-optic photonic crystal light modulator , 2005 .

[14]  D. Larkman,et al.  Photonic crystals , 1999, International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (Cat. No. 99EX350).

[15]  S. Teo,et al.  Fabrication and demonstration of square lattice two-dimensional rod-type photonic bandgap crystal optical intersections , 2006 .

[16]  E. Yablonovitch.  Photonic crystals: semiconductors of light. , 2001, Scientific American.