Modeling and optimization of complex photonic resonant cavity circuits

Area of Science:

• Optics
• Quantum Mechanics
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Modeling optical resonant cavity circuits is crucial for device design.
• Existing methods may lack efficiency for complex structures.
• Quantum mechanical approaches offer potential for advanced modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generalize a quantum mechanical method for modeling coupled lossy resonant cavities.
• To enable calculation of transmission, reflection amplitudes, and group delay for light.
• To provide a tool for fast modeling and optimization of optical circuits.

Main Methods:

• Generalization of a previously developed quantum mechanical method.
• Application of the generalized Breit-Wigner formula.
• Analysis of finite linear chains and Y-shaped structures of cavities.

Main Results:

• A generalized Breit-Wigner formula with clear physical meaning was derived.
• Conditions for bandpass and double bandpass filtering were identified for linear cavity chains.
• A condition for a Y-shaped structure to act as a 50/50 light splitter was determined.
• Group delay dependencies for various structures were investigated.

Conclusions:

• The generalized Breit-Wigner formula facilitates efficient modeling and optimization of complex resonant cavity circuits.
• The method is applicable to superstructure gratings and similar optical devices.
• The findings provide insights into the filter and splitter functionalities of specific cavity configurations.