Slowing down the light for delay lines implementation: Design and performance

Optical delay lines are key building blocks for all-optical signal processing. Photonic crystal structures can demonstrate efficient group velocity reduction, together with a wide-bandwidth and reduced high-order group velocity dispersion. Theses structures also offer the ability for 2D integration within photonic integrated circuits. This paper presents the performances of photonic crystal structures engineered for slowing down the light, and discuss the actual limitation encountered due to fabrication imperfections. To cite this article: A. Talneau, C. R. Physique 10 (2009).