Fundamentals and applications of photonic waveguides with bound states in the continuum

Photonic waveguides are the most fundamental element for photonic integrated circuits(PICs).Waveguide properties,such as propagation loss,modal areas,nonlinear coefficients,etc.,directly determine the functionalities and performance of PICs.Recently,the emerging waveguides with bound states in the continuum(BICs)have opened new opportunities for PICs because of their special properties in resonance and radiation.Here,we review the recent progress of PICs composed of waveguides with BICs.First,fundamentals including background physics and design rules of a BIC-based waveguide will be introduced.Next,two types of BIC-based waveguide structures,including shallowly etched dielectric and hybrid waveguides,will be presented.Lastly,the challenges and opportunities of PICs with BICs will be discussed.

All-optical switching in silicon photonic waveguides with an epsilon-near-zero resonant cavity [Invited]

Strong nonlinearity of plasmonic metamaterials can be designed near their effective plasma frequency in the epsilon-near-zero(ENZ) regime. We explore the realization of an all-optical modulator based on the Au nonlinearity using an ENZ cavity formed by a few Au nanorods inside a Si photonic waveguide. The resulting modulator has robust performance with a modulation depth of about 30 dB/μm and loss less than 0.8 dB for switching energies below 600 fJ. The modulator provides a double advantage of high mode transmission and strong nonlinearity enhancement in the few-nanorod-based design.

Influence of disorder and deformation on the optical properties of a two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide

We investigate the effect of disorder and mechanical deformation on a two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide. The dispersion characteristics and transmittance of the waveguide are studied using the finite element method. Results show that the geometric change of the dielectric material perpendicular to the light propagation direction has a larger influence on the waveguide characteristics than that parallel to the light propagation direction. Mechanical deformation has an obvious influence on the performance of the waveguide. In particular, longitudinal deformed structure exhibits distinct optical characteristics from the ideal one. Studies on this work will provide useful guideline to the fabrication and practical applications based on photonic crystal waveguides.

A photonic crystal waveguide with silicon on insulator in the near-infrared band

A two-dimensional （2D） photonic crystal waveguide in the Г-K direction with triangular lattice on a silicon-on-insulator （SOI） substrate in the near-infrared band is fabricated by the combination of electron beam lithography and inductively coupled plasma etching. Its transmission characteristics are analysed from the stimulated band diagram by the effective index and the 2D plane wave expansion （PWE） methods. In the experiment, the transmission band edge in a longer wavelength of the photonic crystal waveguide is about 1590 nm, which is in good qualitative agreement with the simulated value. However, there is a disagreement between the experimental and the simulated results when the wavelength ranges from 1607 to 1630 nm, which can be considered as due to the unpolarized source used in the transmission measurement.

Transmission Spectral Characteristics of Photonic Crystals Milled in Annealed Proton-Exchange LiNbO_3 Waveguide

Transmission spectra of triangular lattice photonic crystals milled in the top surface of an annealed proton- exchange waveguide are numerically simulated. The effects of the finite depth, conical shape, trapezoidal shape and hybrid shape of holes are theoretically analyzed. Due to the difficulty of milling high aspect-ratio cylindrical holes in lithium niobate （LiNbO3 ）, a compromised solution is proposed to improve the overlap between shallow holes and the waveguide mode, and useful transmission spectra with strong contrast and sharp band edges are achieved.

Theoretical investigation of hierarchical sub-wavelength photonic structures fabricated using high-order waveguide-mode interference lithograph

This paper presents the theoretical investigation of hierarchical sub-wavelength photonic structures with various periods and numbers of layers, which were fabricated using a high-order waveguide-mode interference field. A 442-nm laser was used to excite high-order waveguide modes in an asymmetric metal-cladding dielectric waveguide structure. The dispersion curve of the waveguide modes was theoretically analyzed, and the distribution of the interference field of high-order waveguide modes was numerically simulated using the finite-element method. The various dependences of the characteristics of hierarchical sub-wavelength photonic structures on the thickness and refractive index of the photoresist and the waveguide mode were investigated in detail. These hierarchical sub-wavelength photonic structures have various periods and numbers of layers and can be fabricated by a simple and low-cost method.

Design of tunable surface mode waveguide based on photonic crystal composite structure using organic liquid

With the method of replacing the surface layer of photonic crystal with tubes, a novel photonic crystal composite structure used as a tunable surface mode waveguide is designed. The tubes support tunable surface states. The tunable propagation capabilities of the structure are investigated by using the finite-difference time-domain. Simulation results show that the beam transmission distributions of the composite structure are sensitive to the frequency range of incident light and the surface morphology which can be modified by filling the tubes with different organic liquids. By adjusting the filler in tubes, the T-shaped, Y-shaped, and L-shaped propagations can be realized. The property can be applied to the tunable surface mode waveguide. Compared with a traditional single function photonic crystal waveguide, our designed structure not only has a small size, but also is a tunable device.

A ministop band in a single-defect photonic crystal waveguide based on silicon on insulator

This paper reports that a two-dimensional single-defect photonic crystal waveguide in the Г-K direction with triangular lattice on a silicon-on-insulator substrate is fabricated by the combination of electron beam lithography and inductively coupled plasma etching. A ministop band （MSB） is observed by the measurement of transmission characteristics. It results from the coupling between the two modes with the same symmetry, which is analysed from the stimulated band diagram by the effective index and the two-dimensional plane wave expansion methods. The parameter working on the MSB is the ratio of the radius of air holes to the lattice constant, fla. It is obtained that the critical τ/a value determining the occurrence or disappearance of MSB is 0.36. When τ/a is larger than or equal to 0.36, the MSB occurs. However, when τ/a is smaller than 0.36, the MSB disappears.

Single Photon Scattering in a Pair of Waveguides Coupled by a Whispering-Gallery Resonator Interacting with a Semiconductor Quantum Dot

The single photon scattering properties in a pair of waveguides coupled by a whispering-gallery resonator in- teracting with a semiconductor quantum dot are investigated theoretically. The two waveguides support four possible ports for an incident single photon. The quantum dot is considered a V-type system. The incident direction-dependent single photon scattering properties are studied and equal-output probability from the four ports for a single photon incident is discussed. The influences of backscattering between the two modes of the whispering-gallery resonator for incident direction-dependent single photon scattering properties are also pre- sented.

Full-vectorial analysis of optical waveguides by the finite difference method based on polynomial interpolation

Based on the polynomial interpolation, a new finite difference （FD） method in solving the full-vectorial guidedmodes for step-index optical waveguides is proposed. The discontinuities of the normal components of the electric field across abrupt dielectric interfaces are considered in the absence of the limitations of scalar and semivectorial approximation, and the present PD scheme can be applied to both uniform and non-uniform mesh grids. The modal propagation constants and field distributions for buried rectangular waveguides and optical rib waveguides are presented. The hybrid nature of the vectorial modes is demonstrated and the singular behaviours of the minor field components in the corners are observed. Moreover, solutions are in good agreement with those published early, which tests the validity of the present approach.

Single-photon interconnector composed of two individual one-dimensional nano-waveguides and a single emitter

Recently, theoretical and experimental nano-sized fundamental devices for optical circuits have been proposed at the single-photon level. The assembly of a realistic optical circuit is now a reality. In this work, we introduce a single-photon interconnector composed of two individual nanowires and an optical N-type four-level emitter that can turn the optical connection on and off optically. Because of dipole-induced transmission at the single-photon level, a single photon can travel between the two nanowires reciprocally, which guarantees its application as an all-optical interconnector.

Realization of one-dimensional 2^(n)-root topological states in photonic lattices

Square-root topological insulators recently discovered are intriguing topological phases.They possess topological properties inherited from the squared Hamiltonian and exhibit double-band structures.The mechanism of the square root was generalized to 2^(n)-root topological insulators,giving rise to more band gaps.In this study,we describe the experimental realization of onedimensional 2^(n)-root topological insulators in photonic waveguide arrays using the archetypical Su-Schrieffer-Heeger(SSH)model.Topological edge states with tunable numbers are clearly observed under visible light.In particular,we visualized the dynamic evolutions of the light propagation by varying the sample lengths,which further proved the localization and multiple numbers of edge states in 2^(n)-root topological systems.The experiment,which involves constructing 2^(n)-root topological photonic lattices in various geometric arrangements,provides a stable platform for studying topological states that exhibit a remarkable degree of flexibility and control.

Coupling length variation and multi-wavelength demultiplexing in photonic crystal waveguides

In this Letter, the effects of material/structure parameters of photonic crystal（Ph C） parallel waveguides on the coupling length are investigated. The results show that, increasing the effective relative permittivity of the Ph C leads to a downward shift of the photonic bandgap and a variation of the coupling length. A compact Ph C 1.31/1.55 μm wavelength division multiplexer（WDM）/demultiplexer with simple structure is proposed,where the output power ratios are more than 24 d B. This WDM can multiplex/demultiplex other light waves efficiently.

Broadband and lossless lithium niobate valley photonic crystal waveguide [Invited]

We investigate the influences of structure parameters and interface shapes on the bandwidth of the edge state of lithium niobate valley photonic crystals. By increasing the size difference of two air holes in the same unit cell, we find that the bandwidth of the lossless nontrivial edge state possesses a peak value of 0.0201(a/λ), which can be used to construct broadband valley photonic crystal waveguides. Mode field distributions verify that the waveguide is robust against sharp bends and exhibits chirality. When the unit cell is arranged in a bearded interface with the top and bottom components showing negative and positive valley Chern numbers, respectively, we find that the lithium niobate valley photonic crystal is more likely to exhibit a lossless edge state, which is difficult to be realized in valley waveguides with low refractive index materials. This work can provide guidance on the design of the high-performance topological waveguide.

Hybrid silicon slotted photonic crystal waveguides:how does third order nonlinear performance scale with slow light?

We investigate in this paper the influence of slow light on the balance between the Kerr and two-photon absorption(TPA) processes in silicon slotted hybrid nonlinear waveguides. Three typical silicon photonic waveguide geometries are studied to estimate the influence of the light slow-down factor on the mode field overlap with the silicon region, as well as on the complex effective nonlinear susceptibility. It is found that slotted photonic crystal modes tend to focalize in their hollow core with increasing group index(n_G) values. Considering a hybrid integration of nonlinear polymers in such slotted waveguides, a relative decrease of the TPA process by more factor of 2 is predicted from n_G=10 to n_G=50. As a whole, this work shows that the relative influence of TPA decreases for slotted waveguides operating in the slow light regime, making them a suitable platform for third-order nonlinear optics.

Electrical Excitation of Long-Range Surface Plasmons in PC/OLED Structure with Two Metal Nanolayers

A current-driven source of long-range surface plasmons(LRSPs)on a duplex metal nanolayer is reported.Electrical excitation of LRSPs was experimentally observed in a planar structure,where an organic light-emitting film was sandwiched between two metal nanolayers that served as electrodes.To achieve the LRSP propagation in these metal nanolayers at the interface with air,the light-emitting structure was bordered by a one-dimensional photonic crystal(PC)on the other side.The dispersion of the light emitted by such a hybrid PC/organic-light-emitting-diode structure(PC/OLED)comprising two thin metal electrodes was obtained,with a clearly identified LRSP resonance peak.

Low-crosstalk silicon photonics arrayed waveguide grating

In this Letter,we demonstrate a 1×4 low-crosstalk silicon photonics cascaded arrayed waveguide grating,which is fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator wafer with a 220-nm-thick top silicon layer and a 2μm buried oxide layer.The measured on-chip transmission loss of this cascaded arrayed waveguide grating is～4.0 dB,and the fiber-towaveguide coupling loss is 1.8 dB/facet.The measured channel spacing is 6.4 nm.The adjacent crosstalk by characterization is very low,only -33.2 dB.Compared to the normal single silicon photonics arrayed waveguide grating with a crosstalk of ～-12.5 dB,the crosstalk of more than 20 dB is dramatically improved in this cascaded device.

Experimental evidence of photonic crystal waveguides with wide bandwidth in two-dimensional Al2O3 rods array

A cross-shaped photonic crystal waveguide formed by a square lattice Al_2O_3 rods array is numerically and experimentally investigated. The band gap of the TE mode for the photonic crystals and transmission characteristics of waveguides are calculated by the plane wave expansion method and the finite element method.We perform the experiments in the microwave regime to validate the numerical results. The measured reflection and transmission characteristics of the photonic crystals show a large band gap between 8.62 and 11.554 GHz（relative bandwidth is 29.34%）. The electromagnetic waves are transmitted stably in the waveguides, and the transmission characteristics maintain a high level in the band gap.

Seven-core photonic liquid crystal fibers for simultaneous mode shaping and temperature sensing

Through doping liquid crystals into the core region, we propose a kind of seven-core photonic crystal fiber（PCF）which can achieve mode shaping and temperature sensing simultaneously in the communication window of1.1–1.7 μm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the function of seven-core PCFs as temperature sensors is investigated. By using the full vectorial finite element method, the characteristics of the fiber with the temperature, such as the effective mode area, the waveguide dispersion, and the confinement loss, are analyzed. This kind of PCF can be competitive in providing temperature sensing in multi-core PCF lasers.

Single Photon Scattering Properties in Coupled-Resonator Waveguide Coupling with a Nanocavity Interacting with an External Mirror

We investigate theoretically single photon transport properties in coupled-resonator waveguide coupling with a nanocavity interacting with an external mirror. By using the discrete coordinates approach, transmission and reflection amplitudes of the propagating single photon in the waveguide are obtained. The influence of the coupling strength between the nanocavity and the external mirror on the single photon scattering spectra is discussed. We also extend the results to the waveguide with linear and quadratic form dispersion relations.