Directivity enhancement and deflection of the beam emitted from a photonic crystal waveguide via defect coupling

Abstract

We experimentally and numerically investigate the spatial distribution of the emission from a photonic crystal waveguide, coupled with defects, that are located at the output edge. Two defects that are located symmetrically enhance the directivity of the beam compared to that of a plain waveguide, as was reported in recently conducted theoretical work. We further demonstrate that a single defect deflects of the beam. By choosing the defect resonance that is close to the edge of the pass band of the waveguide, where the group velocity of the beam within the waveguide is slow, a significant amount of deflection can be achieved. © 2007 Optical Society of America.