Abstract
In this paper, we present a complete approach to the design of a wavelength demultiplexer based on the
S-vector superprism photonic-crystal phenomenon. We make use of a full 3-D
modeling approach based on plane-wave-expansion method, which allows the full dynamics of beam propagation to be
considered. This reveals significant nonuniformities in beam divergence and dispersion as a function of wavelength,
which has been neglected in previous 2-D models and which reduces the scalability of these devices. We examine 1-D
and 2-D photonic-crystal lattices and show that the 1-D lattice results in the smallest superprism area as a
function of channel count. This is due to its lower band curvature relative to 2-D square and hexagonal lattices,
even though it has much lower angular dispersion. We also modify the previous S
-vector superprism design so that, for each channel, the prism region extends only as far as necessary
for channel resolution at a specified crosstalk level. Based on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology, with a top
silicon layer of 260 nm and minimum feature size of 75 nm, we present the design of a four-channel
coarse-wavelength-division-multiplexing demultiplexer with theoretical crosstalk of 20 dB, which has a superprism
area of 1367 μm<sub>2</sub>.
© 2007 IEEE
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