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Updated: May 18, 2026

A Photonic System for Generating Unconditional Polarization-Entangled Photons Based on Multiple Quantum Interference
Published on: September 5, 2019
Design of a compact mode and polarization converter in three-dimensional photonic crystals
1School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Birck Nano-technology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA. wang381@purdue.edu
Abstract:
A mode and polarization converter is proposed and optimized for 3D photonic integrated circuits based on photonic crystals (PhCs). The device converts the index-guided TE mode of a W1 solid-core (SC) waveguide to the band-gap-guided TM mode of a W1 hollow-core (HC) waveguide in 3D PhCs, and vice versa. The conversion is achieved based on contra-directional mode coupling. For a 25 μm-long device, simulations show that the power conversion efficiency is over 98% across a wavelength range of 16 nm centered at 1550 nm, whereas the reflection remains below -20 dB. The polarization extinction ratio of the conversion is in principle infinitely high because both W1 waveguides operate in the single-mode regimes in this wavelength range.

