An optical waveguide is a physical structure that guides electromagnetic waves in the optical spectrum. Common types of optical waveguides include optical fiber waveguides, transparent dielectric waveguides made of plastic and glass, liquid light guides, and liquid waveguides.
Optical waveguides are used as components in integrated optical circuits or as the transmission medium in local and long-haul optical communication systems.
Optical waveguides can be classified according to their geometry (planar, strip, or fiber waveguides), mode structure (single-mode, multi-mode), refractive index distribution (step or gradient index), and material (glass, polymer, semiconductor).
The basic principles behind optical waveguides can be described using the concepts of geometrical or ray optics, as illustrated in the diagram.
Light passing into a medium with higher refractive index bends toward the normal by the process of refraction (Figure a.). Take, for example, light passing from air into glass. Similarly, light traveling in the opposite direction (from glass into air) takes the same path, bending away from the normal. This is a consequence of time-reversal symmetry. Each ray in air (black) can be mapped to a ray in the glass (blue), as shown in Figure b. There's a one-to-one correspondence. But because of refraction, some of the rays in the glass are left out (red). The remaining rays are trapped in the glass by a process called total internal reflection. They are incident on the glass-air interface at an angle above the critical angle. These extra rays correspond to a higher density of states in more-advanced formulations based on the Green's function.
Using total internal reflection, we can trap and guide the light in a dielectric waveguide (Figure c). The red rays bounce off both the top and bottom surface of the high index medium. They're guided even if the slab curves or bends, so long as it bends slowly. This is the basic principle behind fiber optics in which light is guided along a high index glass core in a lower index glass cladding (Figure d).
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
This laboratory work allows students to deepen their understanding of optical instruments, optoelectronic devices and diagnostic methods. Students will be introduced in state of the art optical instru
This laboratory work allows students to deepen their understanding of optical instruments, optoelectronic devices and diagnostic methods. Students will be introduced in state of the art optical instru
This course gives an introduction to basic integrated photonics components that are at the core of photonic nanotechnologies today. The course combines theoretical description with practical lab work
A waveguide filter is an electronic filter constructed with waveguide technology. Waveguides are hollow metal conduits inside which an electromagnetic wave may be transmitted. Filters are devices used to allow signals at some frequencies to pass (the passband), while others are rejected (the stopband). Filters are a basic component of electronic engineering designs and have numerous applications. These include selection of signals and limitation of noise.
Silicon photonics is the study and application of photonic systems which use silicon as an optical medium. The silicon is usually patterned with sub-micrometre precision, into microphotonic components. These operate in the infrared, most commonly at the 1.55 micrometre wavelength used by most fiber optic telecommunication systems. The silicon typically lies on top of a layer of silica in what (by analogy with a similar construction in microelectronics) is known as silicon on insulator (SOI).
A photonic crystal is an optical nanostructure in which the refractive index changes periodically. This affects the propagation of light in the same way that the structure of natural crystals gives rise to X-ray diffraction and that the atomic lattices (crystal structure) of semiconductors affect their conductivity of electrons. Photonic crystals occur in nature in the form of structural coloration and animal reflectors, and, as artificially produced, promise to be useful in a range of applications.
Photonics integrated circuits are a promising solution for the growing demands of data transmission and future system-on-chip technologies. Within this context, nonlinear optical interactions offer unique opportunities for all-optical processing, sampling, ...
The interaction of light and matter enables nonlinear frequency conversion and the creation of coherent currents. The optical control of electric currents is of fundamental relevance and prominent research focus in the last decades. These photocurrents ena ...
EPFL2024
,
A luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) offers a viable solution to spectrally convert and concentrate both direct and diffuse sunlight without the need for tracking. Its potential for commercialization is currently limited by the optical performance. A det ...