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Light Guiding in Low Index Materials using High-Index-Contrast Waveguides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Vilson R. Almeida
Affiliation:
Cornell University, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 429 Phillips Hall Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A.
Qianfan Xu
Affiliation:
Cornell University, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 429 Phillips Hall Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A.
Roberto R. Panepucci
Affiliation:
Cornell University, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 429 Phillips Hall Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A.
Carlos A. Barrios
Affiliation:
Cornell University, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 429 Phillips Hall Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A.
Michal Lipson
Affiliation:
Cornell University, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 429 Phillips Hall Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A.
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Abstract

We propose a novel high-index-contrast waveguide structure capable of light strong confinement and guiding in low-refractive-index materials. The principle of operation of this structure relies on the electric field (E-field) discontinuity at the interface between high-index-contrast materials. We show that by using such a structure the E-field can be strongly confined in a 50-nm-wide low-index region with normalized average intensity of 20 μm−2. This intensity is approximately 20 times higher than that can be achieved in SiO2 with conventional rectangular or photonic crystal waveguides.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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References

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