Paper
13 October 2005 Acoustically tunable photonic band gap structures
Mauricio M. de Lima Jr., Rudolf Hey, Andres Cantarero, Paulo V. Santos
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
We discuss the formation of a tunable one-dimensional photonic band gap structure through the modulation of the resonance frequency of an optical microcavity by a surface acoustic wave (SAW). The microcavity consists of a λ/2 GaAs layer bounded by AlAs/GaAs Bragg mirrors. The SAW periodically modulates the optical thickness of the cavity layer, leading to a light dispersion relation folded within a mini-Brillouin zone (MBZ) defined by |kx|≤ π/λSAW (kx denotes the photon wave vector component along the SAW propagation direction x-with-caret). In reflection and diffraction experiments, we observe photon modes bounding the gaps in the center and at the boundary of the MBZ as well as a renormalization of the optical energies. Furthermore, the width of the energy gaps can be tuned by changing the acoustic power densities. The experimental results are in good agreement with a simple model for the dispersion in the presence of SAWs. We show the application of acoustically tunable microcavities in efficient optical on/off switches and modulators as well as a tunable cavity operating at 1.3μm.
© (2005) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Mauricio M. de Lima Jr., Rudolf Hey, Andres Cantarero, and Paulo V. Santos "Acoustically tunable photonic band gap structures", Proc. SPIE 5950, Photonic Crystals and Fibers, 59500L (13 October 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.623386
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KEYWORDS
Modulation

Optical microcavities

Acoustics

Reflectivity

Dispersion

Mirrors

Solids

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