Modal-reflectivity enhancement by geometry tuning in Photonic Crystal microcavities

When a guided wave is impinging onto a Photonic Crystal (PC) mirror, a fraction of the light is not reflected back and is radiated into the claddings. We present a theoretical and numerical study of this radiation problem for several three-dimensional mirror geometries which are important for light...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics express 2005-01, Vol.13 (1), p.245-255
Main Authors: Sauvan, C, Lecamp, G, Lalanne, P, Hugonin, J
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:When a guided wave is impinging onto a Photonic Crystal (PC) mirror, a fraction of the light is not reflected back and is radiated into the claddings. We present a theoretical and numerical study of this radiation problem for several three-dimensional mirror geometries which are important for light confinement in micropillars, air-bridge microcavities and two-dimensional PC microcavities. The cause of the radiation is shown to be a mode-profile mismatch. Additionally, design tools for reducing this mismatch by tuning the mirror geometry are derived. These tools are validated by numerical results performed with a three-dimensional Fourier modal method. Several engineered mirror geometries which lower the radiation loss by several orders of magnitude are designed.
ISSN:1094-4087
1094-4087
DOI:10.1364/opex.13.000245