Study of gain in photonic bandgap active InP waveguides

The parametric analysis of an active InP-based buried waveguide is proposed to optimize the amplification of the electric field at a given operation wavelength. The waveguide exploits a one-dimensional photonic crystal (PhC), the periodicity of which is perturbed by an active defective region. The analysis of the gain spectrum, as a function of the geometrical and electrical parameters, has been performed using proprietary codes, based on the bidirectional beam propagation method with method of lines, introducing rate equations to take into account the interaction of the matter with the photons. It is shown that the variations in the number of layers of the one-dimensional PhC, of the injection current, and of the length of the active defect strongly influence the behavior of the gain. A simple example of an active photonic switch is proposed as an application of the outlined design criteria. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America