Systematic design of photonic crystal structures using topology optimization: Low-loss waveguide bends

Topology optimization is a promising method for systematic design of optical devices. As an example, we demonstrate how the method can be used to design a 90degrees bend in a two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide with a transmission loss of less than 0.3% in almost the entire frequency range of the guided mode.

The method can directly be applied to the design of other optical devices, e.g., multiplexers and wave splitters, with optimized performance. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.