Introduction

The market for optical networking components will grow from approximately $2.8 billion in 2007 to $7.9 billion in 2012, according to CIR forecasts. Within this market is the market segment which includes photonic crystal waveguides

This invention provides a means to efficiently couple light into a slot photonic crystal waveguide with a compact structure. Stimulation indicates that the slot photonic crystal waveguide exhibits low group velocity near the band edge and therefore leads to a significant enhancement of nonlinear effect for active devices. The power consumption and device size needed to modulate an optical signal are thus significantly reduced. This advantage is crucial for optical sensors and for fully embedded board-level interconnects, where heat dissipation due to the fully embedded structure is a paramount concern

The invention is aptly suited for sensor applications where the optical energy is much better confined in space and group velocity is much slower in time. The combination of these two gives another 60X or higher enhancement of sensitivity.

Benefits:

• Relatively inexpensive, silicon CMOS production, high-quality precision components
  
• Plug-and-play capable
  
• More precise or higher signature sensitivity
  
• MEMS scale footprint giving it a low weight advantage
  
• Excellent modulation efficiency compared to conventional modulation scheme
  
• Can be used similar to electro-absorption modulators
  
• Transparent to any optical sensors
  
• Can fill 20nm channels with any polymer, chemical, gas, or liquid
  
• Low heat generation
  

Market Potential/Applications:

This invention has interoperability capabilities for use in the optical sensor market: specifically bio/chem sensors, telecommunications market containing modulators for mesh networks and MANs, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), data communications, and structural sensor (bridges).

Contact:

University of Texas,
Austin, USA
Website : www.otc.utexas.edu