Ultra-compact device geometries requiring the development of new device technologies are essential for the successful implementation of active devices within photonic crystal systems. The basic operation of an ultra-compact silicon-based photonic crystal light modulator actuated by the thermo-optic modulation of the cut-off frequency about the telecommunication wavelength is discussed. A device design using highly localized high temperature resistive heating of heavily doped heating elements situated directly parallel to the photonic crystal light modulator was developed and evaluated using finite difference time domain and finite element analysis. These devices exhibited high extinction ratios and low insertion losses over a 40 nm frequency band around the telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm with response times on the order of a few to several microseconds. The reliability implications of using these types of devices are discussed.
A device concept is proposed for modulating light in silicon-based photonic crystal devices by using highly localized high-temperature modulation of a compact device to vary the position of the cutoff frequency in a photonic crystal waveguide and modulate light. The position of the cutoff frequency can be varied by up to 60 nm at the telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm by locally increasing the temperature of the device. Modulators of a few to several micrometers in width can be designed that can modulate light with extinction ratios up to 50 dB and low insertion loss.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.