Theoretical and experimental study of photonic-crystal-based structures for optical communication applications

Photonic crystal based structures have been considered for optical communication applications. A class of novel symmetric structures consisting of cavities and waveguides have been proposed to serve as optical add-drop multiplexers. Light transfer processes in these structures are analyzed briefly. The problem of deviating from the perfect accidental degeneracy is addressed for practical designs, and the backscattering intensities are shown low for the slight deviations. Anomalous light refraction at a surface of a photonic crystal has also been studied. The limitations of prior theoretical methods for the transmission problem are discussed. An outline of a new analytic theory that overcomes these limitations is presented. Photonic crystals are fabricated on polymer multi-layer films and integrated with conventional channel waveguides.