An ultra-narrowband all-optical filter based on the resonant cavities in rod-based photonic crystal microstructure

In view of the large scientific and technical interest in the frequency-selective all-optical devices, and some optical filters limitations, we focus on the design and analysis of a novel ultra-narrowband all-optical filter. The proposed structure consists of input/output waveguides and a resonator in a microstructured photonic crystal that encompasses silicon rods. We study the effects of the variations of rod radius, the lattice constant, and the refractive index of the filter on the resonance wavelength, quality factor, transmission, and full width at half maximum (FWHM) by solving Maxwell's equations using the finite-difference time-domain method. The numerical results show that the proposed filter with a lattice constant of a=540 nm, central resonant rod radius of 216 nm, and the rod radius of r=0.2a has a resonant wavelength of lambda (r)=1253 nm, the quality factor of Q(f)=3288, FWHM of 0.26 nm and broad free spectral range of FSR=790 nm while this filter for r=0.26a has lambda (r)=1552 nm, Q(f)=5542, FWHM of 0.28 nm, and FSR=720 nm. Some promising characteristics, such as its short propagation time and a small area of 102.6 mu m(2) make this optical filter an interesting candidate for use in photonic integrated chips.