Band gap characterization and slow light effects in one dimensional photonic crystals based on silicon slot-waveguides

We investigate the photonic properties of one dimensional photonic crystals realized on Silicon On Insulator channel slot-waveguide to engineer slow light effects. Various geometries of the photonic pattern have been characterized and their photonic band-gap structure analyzed. The optimal geometry has been further used to realize a coupled resonator optical waveguide (CROW). A first optimization of these CROW devices shows a group velocity of more than c/10 at 1.55 mu m. Full three dimensional calculations based on the planar wave expansion method have been used to compute the band diagram while full three dimensional calculations based on finite difference time domain methods have been used to study light propagation. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America.