RESUMEN
We experimentally demonstrate dispersion engineering of slow light photonic crystal (PhC) waveguides using selective infiltration of the first two rows of air holes with high index ionic liquids. The infiltrated PhC waveguide exhibits a dispersion window of 3 nm with a nearly constant group velocity of ~c/80 that depends on the liquid physical properties. We investigate how the effective refractive index changes in time due to the dynamics of the liquids in the holes. This demonstration highlights the versatility, flexibility, and tunability offered by optofluidics in PhC circuits.
RESUMEN
A microfluidic double heterostructure cavity is created in a silicon planar photonic crystal waveguide by selective infiltration of a liquid crystal. The spectral evolution of the cavity resonances probed by evanescent coupling reveals that the liquid crystal evaporates, even at room temperature, despite its relatively low vapor pressure of 5 × 10(-3) Pa. We explore the infiltration and evaporation dynamics of the liquid crystal within the cavity using a Fabry-Perot model that accounts for the joint effects of liquid volume reduction and cavity length variation due to liquid evaporation. While discussing how the pattern of the infiltrated liquid can be optimized to restrict evaporation, we find that the experimental behavior is consistent with basic microfluidic relations considering the small volumes of liquids and large surface areas present in our structure.
