Electro-optic modulation in slotted resonant photonic crystal heterostructures

Abstract

Two dimensional photonic crystal waveguides in high index materials enable integrated optical devices with an extremely small geometrical footprint on the scale of micrometers. Slotted waveguides are based on the guiding of light in low refractive index materials and a field enhancement in this particular region of the device. In this letter we experimentally demonstrate electro-optic modulation in slotted photonic crystal waveguides based on silicon-on-insulator substrates covered and infiltrated with nonlinear optical polymers. A photonic crystal heterostructure is used to create a cavity, while simultaneously serving as an electrical connection from the slot to the metal electrodes that carry the modulation signal.