Guiding, bending, and splitting of electromagnetic waves in highly confined photonic crystal waveguides

We have experimentally demonstrated the guiding, bending, and splitting of electromagnetic (EM) waves in highly confined waveguides built around three-dimensional layer-by-layer photonic crystals by removing a single rod. Full transmission of the EM waves was observed for straight and bended waveguides. We also investigated the power splitter structures in which the input EM power could be efficiently divided into the output waveguide ports. The experimental results, dispersion relation and photon lifetime, were analyzed with a theory based on the tight-binding photon picture. Our results provide an important tool for designing photonic crystal based optoelectronic components.