Photonic Crystals and MEMS for Wavelength Control in Optical Communication

Dr Olav Solgaard,
Stanford University

Photonic crystals and Optical MEMS enable unprecedented control of the amplitude and phase of optical fields and provide a low-cost platform for integration and packaging of optical systems.  In this talk we will describe the basis of spectral synthesis in two-dimensional photonic crystals slabs and micromirror arrays, and show how these phenomena can be implemented in silicon optical bench technology to realize integrated systems for wavelength control.  We will demonstrate a number of practical applications, including optical filters, Wavelength Division Multiplexers, tunable lasers, and displacement sensors.