Improved line-defect structures for photonic-crystal waveguides with high group velocity

Through the analysis of the guided modes in simple photonic-crystal (PC) slab waveguides, we have established a simple and essential interpretation for the dispersion structure of the guided modes: the structure of the dispersion curves is the result of interactions between the index-confined mode and the gap-confined mode. This interpretation gave us guidelines for increasing group velocities near the zone boundary, or for solving the severe light-line problem in PC slab waveguides with dielectric claddings. Applying these guidelines, we proposed novel waveguide structures that promise fine transmission characteristics.