Active tuning of photonic device characteristics during operation by ferroelectric domain switching

Ferroelectrics have many unusual properties. Two properties that are often exploited are first, their complex, nonlinear optical response and second, their strong nonlinear coupling between electromagnetic and mechanical fields through the domain patterns or microstructure. The former has led to the use of ferroelectrics in optical devices and the latter is used in ferroelectric sensors and actuators. We show the feasibility of using these properties together in nanoscale photonic devices. The electromechanical coupling allows us to change the domain patterns or microstructure. This in turn changes the optical characteristics. Together, these could provide photonic devices with tunable properties. We present calculations for two model devices. First, in a photonic crystal consisting of a triangular lattice of air holes in barium titanate, we find the change in the band structure when the domains are switched. The change is significant compared to the frequency spread of currently available high-quality light sources and may provide a strategy for optical switching. Second, we show that periodically poled 90 degrees domain patterns, despite their complex geometry, do not cause dispersion or have band gaps. Hence, they may provide an alternative to the antiparallel domains that are usually used in quasiphase matching and allow for tunable higher-harmonic generation.