Design proposal for a low loss in-plane active photonic crystal waveguide with vertical electrical carrier injection

Abstract

We propose an active waveguide design that provides both low propagation losses (< 20 dB/cm) and the capability for electrical pumping of the photonic crystal waveguide with a vertical contacting scheme. A careful estimation of a large number of parameters is required in order to obtain both properties. The proposed device supports single mode operation at the telecom wavelength λ = 1550 nm and is suitable for the implementation of in-plane active photonic crystal devices, such as semiconductor optical amplifiers and lasers.