Symmetrical anisotropy enables dynamic diffraction control in photonics

• Published in: Optics express 2023-09, Vol.31 (19), p.30863
• Main Authors: Mangach, Hicham, Badri, Youssef El, Hmima, Abdelhamid, Achaoui, Younes, Bouzid, Abdenbi, Zeng, Shuwen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Engineering Sciences; Optics; Photonic
• ISSN: 1094-4087; 1094-4087
• DOI: 10.1364/OE.491396

Despite the steady advancements in nanofabrication made over the past decade that had prompted a plethora of intriguing applications across various fields, achieving compatibility between miniaturized photonic devices and electronic dimensions remains unachievable due to the inherent diffraction limit of photonic devices. Herein, we present an approach based on anisotropic scaling of the shapes of photonic crystals (PhCs) to overcome the diffraction limit and achieve controlled diffraction limit along the Γ X direction. Thus, we demonstrate that scaling the direction perpendicular to the wave’s propagation (y-direction) by 1/2 and 1/4 significantly improves the diffraction limit by two and four orders of magnitude, respectively. This approach opens up possibilities for high-frequency wave guiding in a cermet configuration, which was previously unachievable. Furthermore, we illustrate the existence of a quasi-bound state in the continuum (QBICs) in asymmetric dimer network-type photonic crystals (PhCs).