Photonic circuits, unlike electronic circuits, work with light rather than electricity, which makes them 10 to 100 times faster. They are also more energy-efficient because they show lower heat loss, better signal-to-noise ratios and are less susceptible to interference. Used especially for communications (fiber optics), optical circuits may use tiny optical cavities as switches that can block or allow the flow of light, similarly to transistors in electronics.
EPFL scientists have now created and experimentally tested a silicon-based ‘photonic crystal nanocavity’ (PCN) that requires an impressively low amount of energy to operate as a switch. The findings, which have significant involvement for the future of optical technologies, are published in a paper that features on the cover of Applied Physics Letters.
Optical circuits control light the way an electrical circuit controls the flow of electricity. Optical systems show better speed, energy-efficiency and stability, compared to electrical circuits. Already used in fiber optic communications, the field of applied photonics is making steady progress in developing optical circuits, which use nanoscale ‘optical cavities’ as switches or ‘transistors’ for controlling the flow of light.
Optical cavities confine light in a tiny space of a few nanometers. ‘Squeezed’ in such a small volume, a tiny amount of incoming light is enough to cause a small change in the wavelength of the trapped light, because of the optical properties of the material from which the cavity is made.
These properties are referred to as “non-linear,” meaning that if a small amount of light can make the optical cavity resonate, a higher light intensity can cause it to actually switch between two different states. This effect, called “optical bi-stability” is ultimately what makes the optical cavity to act as a switch for light.
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