Nonlinear photonic crystal microdevices for optical integration

A four-port nonlinear photonic crystal system is discussed that exhibits optical bistability with negligible backscattering to the inputs, making it particularly suitable for integration with other active devices on the same chip. Devices based on this system can be made to be small [O(lambda(3))] in volume, have a nearly instantaneous response, and consume only a few milliwatts of power. Among many possible applications, we focus on an all-optical transistor and integrated optical isolation. (C) 2003 Optical Society of America.