Analysis of an optically controlled photonic switch

Metal-dielectric-metal plasmonic resonators for active beam steering in the infrared

Active beam-steering devices near the optical frequencies have long been sought after due to their applications in communication, defense, and display technologies; however, the challenge lies in achieving actively tunable structures near these frequencies. An array of metal-dielectric-metal plasmonic resonators is demonstrated as a dynamic beam-steering device to operate at midinfrared wavelengths. We numerically demonstrate continuous-angle beam steering of 8.75° by making use of tunable properties of silicon as the active dielectric. The proposed device achieves a refractive index insensitive divergence angle and it operates in a 650 nm wide spectral window around 10 μm wavelength. The results of this Letter pave the way to exploiting active beam steering in various applications at midinfrared wavelengths.

Optical bandwidth in coupling: the multicore photonic switch

In the present study, the bandwidth of a photonic switch described previously [Appl. Opt. 37,2296 (1998); 38, 3239 (1999)] is evaluated. First the optical bandwidth is evaluated for coupling between two fiber-core waveguides, in which the cores are embedded within the same cladding. Then the coupling bandwidth is determined for a fiber-core-to-slab-core waveguide, in which the cores are embedded within the same cladding. These bandwidths are then compared and contrasted with the bandwidths of the photonic switch, which consists of two fiber cores and a control waveguide. Two configurations of the photonic switch are considered: one in which the control waveguide is a fiber core and one in which the control waveguide is a slab core. For the photonic switch, the bandwidth characteristics are more complicated than for the coupled pairs, and these characteristics are discussed in detail.