Disorder-induced incoherent scattering losses in photonic crystal waveguides: Bloch mode reshaping, multiple scattering, and breakdown of the Beer-Lambert law

M. Patterson, S. Hughes, S. Schulz, D. M. Beggs, T. P. White, Liam O'Faolain, T. F. Krauss

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Through a combined theoretical and experimental study of disorder-induced incoherent scattering losses in slow-light photonic crystal slab waveguides, we show the importance of Bloch mode reshaping and multiple scattering. We describe a convenient and fully three-dimensional theoretical treatment of disorder-induced extrinsic scattering, including the calculation of backscatter and out-of-plane losses per unit cell, and the extrapolation of the unit-cell loss to the loss for an entire disordered waveguide. The theoretical predictions, which are also compared with recent measurements on dispersion engineered silicon waveguides, demonstrate the failure of the Beer-Lambert law due to multiple scattering. We also explain why the previously assumed group velocity scalings of disorder-induced loss break down in general.

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages6
JournalPhysical Review. B, Condensed matter and materials physics
Volume80
Issue number19
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2009

Keywords

  • photonic crystals
  • SLOW-LIGHT
  • GROUP-VELOCITY
  • LOW-DISPERSION

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