Toward the Integration of Photonic Crystals with Optical Fiber
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Toward the Integration of Photonic Crystals with Optical Fiber Y. SUZUKI and LU CHEN Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 GLENN E. KOHNKE Photonics Technologies, Corning Inc. Corning, NY 14831 ABSTRACT We have developed a novel silicon platform where light from optical fiber is coupled directly into and out of silicon-based photonic crystal structures with over 30dB suppression of transmission from 1400nm to 1700nm and defect energy levels tuned to within 2nm in the bandgap. Insertion losses as low as 3.5dB have been achieved. The optical spectra of our one-dimensional silicon-based photonic crystals can be quantitatively described by a simple model of light incident on a series of dielectric interfaces. The agreement between experiment and simulation and the low insertion losses are promising for the future integration of photonic crystals into optical communications. INTRODUCTION Recently devices based on photonic bandgap crystals have been the focus of research since they are a potential building block for an all-optical circuitry. In particular, photonic crystals centered at near-infrared wavelengths have been fabricated in a range of materials from Si and GaAs to self-assembled block copolymers. A wide range of fabrication methods, including self-assembly to conventional lithography, have been applied [1-10]. These photonic bandgap crystals can be separated into those that are based on planar waveguides and those that are free standing structures. Because of the planar nature of waveguides, waveguide-based photonic bandgap structures have been limited to periodic dielectric modulation in one or two dimensions with index waveguiding in the third dimension. Free standing structures with periodic dielectric modulation in the three dimensions have been an alternative route to the fabrication of photonic bandgap structures with a complete bandgap for all polarizations. Photonic spectra of such devices have shown bandgaps with suppression of transmission as large as 40dB [6]. In order for these structures to be incorporated into an all-optical circuitry, one must address possible sources of losses: insertions losses from coupling light between fiber and photonic crystals and radiation losses from the photonic structure. Many groups have improved coupling of fiber to and from waveguide structures by creating tapered waveguides, using microlenses between the fiber and waveguide structure, or creating cleaved waveguide surfaces for the introduction of light from fiber. We have addressed insertion loss issues related K6.1.1
to fiber to photonic structure coupling. Opto-micro-electro-mechanical systems (opto-MEMS) have required the alignment of optical fiber (125µm in total diameter and 8µm in core diameter for low ∆ fiber), with photonic structures such as mirrors whose dimensions are on the order of 100µm. However near infrared photonic bandgap crystal structures often have at least one dimension much smaller than 100µm, so that alignment of optical fiber with such struc
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