Photonic crystal slab reflectors for compact passive and active optical devices

Abstract

Compact photonic crystal mirrors (PCM) formed in suspended InP membranes are theoretically and experimentally studied under normal incidence. They are based on the coupling of free space waves with slow Bloch modes of the crystal. These mirrors provide high-efficiency and broadband reflectivity (stop-band superior to 400nm), when involving two slow Bloch modes of the crystal. They allow also for an accurate control of the polarization. These PCMs can be used in new photonic devices, where they replace DBR mirrors. The authors report on the demonstration of a compact and highly selective (Q>1000) tunable filter at 1.55&mgr;m, using a Fabry-Perot resonator combining a bottom micromachined 3-pair-InP/air-gap Bragg reflector with a top InP/air PCM. Micromechanical tuning of the device via electrostatic actuation is also demonstrated over a 20nm range for a maximum 4V tuning voltage. The active version of this device is also considered: a PCM-VCSEL is studied, combining a solid 40 quarter wavelength InP/InGaAlAs DBR with a top PCM. First experimental results show a high Q-factor (around 2000) compatible with a laser regime. We finally demonstrate in this paper a vertical-cavity Fabry-Perot filter with ultimate compactness, associating two PCMs.