Design of donor-type line-defect waveguides in three-dimensional photonic crystals

Abstract

We have theoretically investigated the characteristics of three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal (PC) waveguides formed by the introduction of dielectric line defects. We show that the guided modes in 3D PC waveguides strongly depend on the volume, position and number of dielectric defects introduced. We have succeeded in designing a waveguide structure with a large single-mode bandwidth of 178 nm (range = 1,466 to 1,644 nm) for wavelengths used in optical communications. Our study indicates that there is great flexibility in the design of 3D PC waveguides and that a variety of desirable properties can be obtained by altering the configuration of the line defects appropriately.