Photonic crystal in electrical engineering

Photonic Crystal (PhC) based devices are being increasingly used in multifunctional, compact devices in integrated optical communication systems. They provide excellent controllability of light, yet maintaining the small size required for miniaturization. The band gap properties of PhCs and their typical applications in optical waveguide have been considered. Novel PhC based application such as nonlinear switching and tapers are considered and simulation results are shown using the accurte time-domain numerical method based on Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) scheme. The suitability of these devices for novel applications is discussed and evaluated.