Power and polarization beam-splitters, mirrors, and integrated interferometers based on air-hole photonic crystals and lateral large index-contrast waveguides

Abstract

Air hole 2D photonic crystals (PhC) and air slots have been used in association with semiconductor ridge waveguides to produce highly compact beam-splitters (less than 10 microm x10 microm) for power or polarization separators and mirrors. An efficiency of 99 % (in both 2D and 3D formulations) has been obtained for the power beam-splitter using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations - and around 95 % has been measured experimentally for structures realized in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides. In the polarization splitter, an extinction ratio as large as 11 dB was also reached experimentally. Examples of combinations of these elements in the form of interferometers are also presented.