Simulation and measurement of slow light in photonic crystal waveguides

Planar photonic crystals offer a fascinating means of manipulation of light in integrated,optical circuits. Such waveguides can be realized, as in the present investigations, byfabricating arrays of holes with sub-micrometer distance in the top layer of a silicon-oninsulatorwafer. The waveguides can be tailored such that the propagating mode achievesextreme dispersion as well as a low group velocity, allowing for realization of ultracompact, functional devices.

Here, we present numerical modeling and measurements ofthe time-of-flight propagation of optical pulses. Near the cut-off of the guided mode weobserve a group velocity vg smaller than c/200, with good agreement between simulationand measurement.