Active semiconductor-based grating waveguide structures

Under certain conditions, a high-finesse resonance phenomenon can occur in a grating waveguide structure (GWS). By varying these conditions, a shift in the resonance wavelength can be achieved. Specifically, utilizing the high finesse property of the GWS, small changes in the refractive index can result in a tuning range larger than the resonance bandwidth. Here, we consider different electric-field and charge carrier mechanisms that can affect the refractive index in semiconductor materials, and exploit them in order to control the refractive index change and, therefore, the resonance wavelength in the GWS. The predicted results are verified experimentally with an active GWS formed with semiconductor materials and operated in a reverse voltage configuration.