Recent advances in photonic crystal optical devices: A review

In 1987, Yablonovitch and John proposed an artificial dielectric structure known as Photonic crystals (PhCs) consisting of periodic and random variation of the refractive index to manipulate the flow of light. The photonic devices realized on PhCs can take advantage of the ability to tailor the propagation of the electromagnetic field in these structures on a microscopic scale. Besides, the devices with small footprints can be realized. In recent years, several interesting devices based on PhCs are proposed which comprises small radius bent waveguides (hereafter represented as WGs), miniaturized resonator cavities, and Y-branches, among others. These extraordinary features can lead to the development of a dense integrated circuit. However, the PhC technology is still new and there is a need to investigate this topic more extensively. In this paper, we have reviewed the most common and vital optical elements based on PhCs such as logic gates, power splitter, polarization splitter, sensors, absorbers for solar thermophotovoltaic applications and electrically pumped lasers to sum up the recent developments in this hot topic. These devices show better performance and a small footprint in comparison with conventional photonic devices.