Design and analysis of coupled-resonator optical waveguides (CROWs) using a hardware-based simulation platform

Shouyuan Shi; James P. Durbano; Ahmed S. Sharkawy; Fernando E. Ortiz; Petersen F. Curt

doi:10.1117/12.680591

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5 September 2006 Design and analysis of coupled-resonator optical waveguides (CROWs) using a hardware-based simulation platform

Shouyuan Shi; James P. Durbano; Ahmed S. Sharkawy; Fernando E. Ortiz; Petersen F. Curt

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Proceedings Volume 6289, Novel Optical Systems Design and Optimization IX; 62890B (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.680591
Event: SPIE Optics + Photonics, 2006, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW) is a new type of waveguide in which light propagates due to the coupling between adjacent resonators. CROWs have attracted significant interest within the photonics community because of their ability to manipulate light and provide better control over the optical dispersion characteristics on a microscopic scale. Furthermore, the weak coupling between adjacent, high-Q resonator cavities can significantly reduce the group velocity of light in such structures and may potentially lead to applications in delaying, storing, and buffering of optical pulses, as well as laser systems. Unfortunately, modeling such devices is complex and simplified models suitable for simulations do not truly reflect the operation of the device. Thus, a rigorous numerical electromagnetic analysis is needed to address various issues such as propagation losses, speed, and the efficiency of coupling light into and out of these devices. Further, such analysis requires support for very large problem sizes, too large to be practically simulated using standard software tools, in order to support multiple rings in the structure. To this end, we have developed a novel, hardware-based platform to analyze CROW structures. In this paper, we describe this platform, which has performance comparable to a 100-node PC cluster, and analyze several CROW structures for optical delay applications.

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Shouyuan Shi, James P. Durbano, Ahmed S. Sharkawy, Fernando E. Ortiz, and Petersen F. Curt "Design and analysis of coupled-resonator optical waveguides (CROWs) using a hardware-based simulation platform", Proc. SPIE 6289, Novel Optical Systems Design and Optimization IX, 62890B (5 September 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.680591

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