Abstract

One of the key components in photonic circuits is the waveguide, in particular the ridge waveguide that relies on total internal reflection. Unfortunately, lateral confinement based on total internal reflection has some disadvantages: large device sizes and bend radii are needed to produce devices with acceptable levels of loss. This restriction means that large-scale integration of photonic devices has not yet been realised. An alternative approach to providing lateral confinement that has emerged recently is to use photonic crystals [1].

© 2000 IEEE