Bending characteristics of ARROW

Abstract

Since the introduction of the antiresonant reflecting optical waveguides (ARROW),1 extensive research has been devoted to the investigation of this novel way of guiding optical power.2,3 Aside from the ease of fabrication and low loss, the ARROWS provide strong confinement of optical power in the core region, so that one can stack the ARROW together to form waveguide arrays.2 The core dimension and refractive index of the ARROW can also be made similar to that of the optical fiber to obtain very good coupling efficiency at the fiber and integrated optical component interface. Low loss propagation only occurs when the interference layer is at its optimum thickness for antiresonance, consequently, the propagating characteristics in the ARROW are very sensitive to changes in polarization and wavelength and they can be readily implemented in a number of integrated components, such as sensors and polarization splitters. Because the propagation characteristic in the ARROW depends so strongly on the layer thickness of the interference layer, slight deviations in its dimensions or properties from the optimum design, for example, waveguide bends, may drastically affect the propagation characteristics in the waveguides. This behavior can be exploited and used in sensors. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the propagation characteristics at the ARROW bends.