Effects due to disorder on photonic crystal-based waveguides

Using the multiple-scattering method, we have studied the effects of various types of disorders on the performance of two-dimensional photonic crystal-based waveguides with cylindrical inclusions. The following three types of disorders are considered: (a) all cylinders are disordered; (b) only those cylinders in the boundary layer of the waveguide are disordered; and (c) all cylinders except those in the boundary layer of the waveguide are disordered. Our results show that, for both the cases of position and size randomness, the quality of the waveguide is insensitive to the type-(c) disorder, but very sensitive to type-(a) and type-(b) disorder. We thus conclude that the uniformity of the microstructures in the boundary layer of the waveguide is vital in ensuring the functionality of the waveguide. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics