Dispersive properties in photonic crystals applications to beam-steering and wavelength demultiplexing

Photonic crystals are artificial periodic structures with interesting optical properties which are not often found in naturally formed materials. Most of the applications proposed to date, such as photonic crystal microcavity lasers and photonic crystal waveguides, have primarily utilized the photonic bandgap to confine the light within the defect region of the crystal lattice or to control the light propagation through the defect area. However, there are other applications based on anomalous dispersion observed in light propagation through the crystal lattice itself which are unique and potentially useful for the photonic miniaturization and integration with planar optical circuits in next-generation communication systems.; This dissertation investigates the fundamental dispersive properties of one-dimensional and two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs. By studying the photonic band structure and constant frequency contours we can predict wavelength dependent spatial beam shifting in these devices, as well as other wavelength dependent and angular dependent characteristics such as superprism and super-collimation effects. We will discuss the practical limitations of using a tightly focused input beam with finite spectral range and how this can affect the performance of super-dispersive photonic crystals in real-world applications.