| Communication networks are part and parcel of today's knowledge based society. Optical fibers are extensively used in state-of-the-art communication networks. But the use of electronic devices in heterogeneous electronic-optical networks represents a major bottleneck for the full utilization of large bandwidth and high speed features provided by the optical fibers. To circumvent such network traffic congestion, optics based technologies for wavelength division multiplexing/demultiplexing are vigorously investigated. Microcavity based resonators are one of the promising concepts for such applications. Modeling of these devices is the topic of the present work. This introductory chapter presents the general theory of circular microresonators as wavelength filters. It also outlines the organization of the present thesis. |
Parts of this chapter are adapted from:
M. Hammer, K. R. Hiremath, and R. Stoffer. Analytical approaches to
the description of optical microresonator devices., In M. Bertolotti,
A. Driessen, and F. Michelotti, editors, Microresonators as building
blocks for VLSI photonics, volume 709 of AIP conference proceedings,
pages 48-71. American Institute of Physics, Melville, New York, 2004.
The information and communication technology revolution transformed the world in a true sense into a global village. It changed the style of communication, transactions, and entertainment. E-mail communication became a standard practice. Internet enabled banking, 24/7 open automatic teller machines, e-commerce changed the way we used to deal with money. Computer aided design and manufacturing cut down the production cost of consumer products, and also increased their reliability. Voice-over-Internet is about to start a new era of low cost long distance telephony, and Video-on-Demand is lurking on the horizon. The genesis of this digital life style can be traced back into 1970s.
In 1970s, mass production by integration of electronic components helped to reduce the prices of electronic devices dramatically, and acted as a catalyst for the information technology revolution in 1990s. Soon computers became ubiquitous. The utility of computers increased significantly, when they were connected to each other. At present, the world wide web of computers (aka the Internet) is the most happening place in the world. As more and more day-to-day activities were getting information technology enabled, the demand for fast computers and high speed communication networks was also increasing. Traditionally, microelectronics was used for the manufacturing of data/signal processing devices, and copper cables were used as the carrier media for data transfer. But as the demand for high speed and large capacity data transfer was grown, the copper cable based communication networks were not able to handle it efficiently. At that time, optical fibers made their appearance [1], ushering a dawn of new technology.