PHOTONIC CRYSTALS FOR COMMUNICATIONS

摘要

Photonic crystals promise to provide a new platform for advanced miniaturised communications systems. Photonic crystals interact with light on a wavelength scale, which allows the design of novel miniaturised components. The concepts enabling this technology are presented as well as the fabrication technology for semiconductor-based planar structures. Propagation losses and their origins and possible methods for reduction are discussed. One of the key property of photonic crystals that can be exploited for communication devices is their strong dispersion, which allows applications in pulse compression and wavelength selective devices. Examples for dispersive devices include coupled cavity and defect waveguides as well as the photonic crystal superprism.