Electro-optical modulation in two-dimensional photonic crystal linear waveguides

The electro-optical modulation in a two-dimensional photonic crystal linear waveguide is presented. In order to create a linear waveguide, the radius of a line of rods is reduced. The linear waveguide composed of a dielectric cylinder in air is studied by solving Maxwell's equations using the plane wave expansion method and the finite-difference time–domain method. The switching mechanism is a change in the conductance in the waveguide region and hence modulating the guided modes and eventually switching is achieved. Such a mechanism of modulation should open up a new application for designing tunable components in photonic integrated circuits.

We present the electro-optical modulation in two-dimensional photonic crystal linear waveguides. Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► We report the electro-optical modulation in a 2-D photonic crystal linear waveguide.
► Line waveguides can be obtained by reducing the radius of a line of rods.
► The switching mechanism is a change in the conductance in the waveguide region.