Sloped-Wall Thin-Film Photonic Crystal Waveguides

The effect of the slope of the groove walls in the behavior of thin-film one-dimensional photonic crystal waveguides is extensively studied. In this respect, we point out its influence on the modal dispersion relations and then on the bandgap structure in general. Likewise, we also prove the lack of accuracy in the evaluation of the bandgap edges when material dispersion is ignored. The extreme importance of both facts, the wall slope and the material dispersion, in the analysis and design of realistic photonic crystal devices is emphasized. In particular, we exploit the wall slope as a new design parameter. By suitably choosing the value of the above parameter, sloped-wall photonic crystal waveguides with high quality factor or high group velocity dispersion can be achieved.