A Novel Design of Optical Switch Based on Guided Mode Resonances in Dielectric Photonic Crystal Structures

Abstract

In this work, a novel idea of optical switch design based on guided mode resonance in the photonic crystal structure is numerically investigated. The designed switching device work on the principle of optical amplification and wavelength shift of data signal with the help of a control signal. The data signal can be coupled into the waveguide using guided-mode resonance, whereas, a control signal is index-coupled into the waveguide to influence the data signal. The optical switching action is optimized by introducing a photonic crystal cavity and varying the number of photonic crystal elements, where the resonant wavelength, reflection peaks, linewidth, and quality factor of the data signal can be adjusted. The device is based on low refractive index contrast dielectric materials compatible with fiber optic communication and can operate in a near-infrared range of around 1.55 μm. The numerical simulations are carried out in an open source finite-difference time-domain-based software. An optical switching action is achieved with 7% amplification in the data signal at a central wavelength of 1.55 µm with a maximum shift of the wavelength of 0.001 µm. The proposed device can be easily implemented in cascade designs of programmable photonic and optical switching circuits.

A 3-Dimensional Modelling of the Optical Switch Based on Guided Mode Resonances in Photonic Crystals

“…The modeling of the 3D optical switch, is still an innovative idea, having qualities like compactness, ease of fabrication, and implementable in PICs. An optical switching idea proclaimed in [25], uses a control signal for amplification of the data signal in various structures in terms of variable number of the PhC-elements. Moreover, the structure of the optical switch as presented in [25] and [26], uses 11 PhC-elements along with variable PhC cavity realized at the start of the PhCmesh to modulate the GMR-modes.…”

“…An optical switching idea proclaimed in [25], uses a control signal for amplification of the data signal in various structures in terms of variable number of the PhC-elements. Moreover, the structure of the optical switch as presented in [25] and [26], uses 11 PhC-elements along with variable PhC cavity realized at the start of the PhCmesh to modulate the GMR-modes. Apart from these, a variable PhC cavity and the outcomes of the control signal on the output of the data signal and tunning of the GMR modes respectively are modeled in [27].…”

“…55 µm, using cylindrical shaped-based PhCs-elements. Figure 2, imitates the design of the proposed 3D-optical switch using Niobium pentaoxide (Nb2O5) as the waveguiding material, with a refractive index of nwav = 2.2 [25], and is deposited on a substrate made-up of Silicon dioxide (SiO2) with a refractive index as nsub = 1.5 [27], along a cladding layer of the SiO2 placed topmost of the waveguiding layer. Moreover, is the representation of a strip model of the 3D-optical switch, based on which, the investigations are performed and two final models are computed in the end.…”

“…Therefore, utmost efforts are made to achieve the functions of optical switching element using the time domain [16] or frequency domain [17], with different topologies in the form of cross waveguide geometries [18], quantum dots [19], optoelectronic hybrid devices [20], ring resonators [21], combined configurations of thermodynamics and optical components [22] and utilization of transparent and active materials [23,24], with it desired working and implementation in the optical circuits. A 2D-FDTD design of an optical switch is investigated in [25], by means of the phenomenon of GMR with varying radius cavity implemented at the start of the PhC-mesh. Another approach uses GMR modes to achieve optical switching using the changeable radius cavity within the middle of the PhC-mesh [27,26].…”

Investigation of Optical-Switching Mechanism Using Guided Mode Resonances

“…Additionally, a novel design of the optical switch based on GMR is investigated in ref. [47], inducing a 2D PhCs-based cavity at the start of the optical membrane in dielectric structures, to amplify or de-amplify the given data signal with the help of a control signal using the FDTD approach [48]. Correspondingly, the field of PhC-based logic gates have seen a peak in recent time, where vast research is dedicated to the design of optical modulators [49], couplers [50], multiplexers [51], and logic gates i.e., NOT [52], OR [53], AND [54] and universal logic gates i.e., NOR [55], NAND [56], XOR [57], XNOR [58] and their usage in the optical integrated circuits.…”