Photonic devices having degenerate spectral band edges and methods for using the same

US8538211B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Regents of the University of California · US

Inventors

• Aleksandr Figotin · Irvine, US
• Ilya M. Vitebskiy · Marietta, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 1, 2011
• Grant date: Sep 17, 2013
• Expiry date: Jun 13, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B6/0229
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Provided herein are photonic devices configured to display photonic band gap structure with a degenerate band edge. Electromagnetic radiation incident upon these photonic devices can be converted into a frozen mode characterized by a significantly increased amplitude, as compared to that of the incident wave. The device can also be configured as a resonance cavity with a giant transmission band edge resonance. In an exemplary embodiment, the photonic device is a periodic layered structure with each unit cell comprising at least two anisotropic layers with misaligned anisotropy. The degenerate band edge at given frequency can be achieved by paper choice of the layers' thicknesses and the misalignment angle. In another embodiment, the photonic device is configured as a waveguide periodically modulated along its axis.