Adiabatic three-waveguide directional coupler

Abstract

We propose a three-waveguide directional coupler based on adiabatic evolution of a single normal mode of the system and analyze its switching properties using coupled mode theory. In our scheme the propagation coefficients of the waveguides are constant and the coupling coefficients are variable. This device works in the case that the propagation coefficients of the two outer waveguides are identical and that the coupling coefficients are designed to act in a counterintuitive order.