Reconfigurable bi-directional optical routing in photonic crystals enabled by silicon nanomembrane modules

Wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) is the transmission of many signals through a single communication channel using different wavelengths, each of which carries a separate, independent signal. We present and discuss a reconfigurable WDM based on slow-light, functioning as a bi-directional optical routing and processing network, consisting of photonic crystals designed as drop/add filters. The photonic crystal based routing elements consist of two waveguides coupled through a resonant cavity. Photonic crystals offer the ability to achieve separation of many channels on a much smaller scale than their predecessors. Photonic crystals have led a challenging frontier of miniaturization and large scale integration of high-density optical interconnects, and with the aid of nanomembranes, optical routing networks can set a new standard for high-density optical interconnects.