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Fabrication And Characterization Of Photonic Crystal Slow Light Waveguides And Cavities
Published on: November 30, 2012
Energy efficient nonlinear optics in silicon: are slow-light structures more efficient than nanowires?
Chad Husko1, Benjamin J Eggleton
1Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems (CUDOS), Institute of Photonics and Optical Science (IPOS), School of Physics, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. husko@physics.usyd.edu.au
Optics Letters
|July 25, 2012
Summary
We compared energy performance in nanowire and slow-light photonic crystal platforms for four-wave mixing. Results guide developing energy-efficient silicon photonics.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Four-wave mixing (FWM) is a key nonlinear optical process for integrated photonics.
- Nanowires and slow-light photonic crystals are promising platforms for enhancing nonlinear optical effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the energy performance of FWM in nanowires versus slow-light photonic crystals.
- To identify operational regimes where each platform offers advantages for integrated photonics.
- To assess the potential impact of fabrication improvements on energy efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of FWM energy performance metrics.
- Modeling and simulation of nonlinear optical processes in both platforms.
- Evaluation of scalability and fabrication tolerances.
Main Results:
- Specific advantages and limitations of nanowires and photonic crystals for FWM were identified.
- Regimes favoring energy efficiency in each platform were delineated.
- Fabrication improvements were shown to significantly impact performance.
Conclusions:
- Both nanowires and slow-light photonic crystals can be utilized for energy-efficient integrated photonics.
- Platform selection depends on specific application requirements and performance metrics.
- Future fabrication advancements are crucial for realizing the full potential of these technologies.
