Photonic Crystal Nanobeam Cavities for Tunable Filter and Router Applications

We investigate the suitability of photonic crystal nanobeam cavities for interconnect applications. Owing to their small footprint, exactly the same as that of an optical wave-guide, as well as ultrahigh quality factor resonances that they support, nanobeam cavities are attractive candidates for realization of densely integrated on-chip optical networks. We discus tunability of these filters using thermo-optic, electromechanic, and optomechanic effects, and we compare different reconfiguration strategies in terms of tuning hold power, tuning efficiency, and maximum operating frequency.