Submicron planar waveguide diffractive photonics

Recent advances in semiconductor fabrication tools, which now support 100-nm pixilation and centimeter-scale spatial coherence, create intriguing new opportunities in integrated photonics. Application of the latest generation of fabrication tools allows for the implementation of broad new photonic device function based on 2D distributed diffractive structures such as holographic Bragg reflectors (HBRs) – devices that provide generalized spatial routing of signals within a planar waveguide circuit (e. g. silica-on-silicon) while at the same time providing powerful spectral filtering function. HBRs and other 2D distributed diffractive devices promise to open disruptive pathways to integrated photonic solutions characterized by high performance, small footprint, and extremely low cost especially when fabricated via stamping/nanoimprintin