Fully three-dimensional analysis of a photonic crystal assisted silicon on insulator waveguide bend

A detailed numerical study of low-loss silicon on insulator (SOI) waveguide bend is presented using the fully three-dimensional (3D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The geometrical parameters are optimized to minimize the bending loss over a range of frequencies. Transmission results for the conventional single bend and photonic crystal assisted SOI waveguide bend are compared. Calculations are performed for the transmission values of TE-like modes where the electric field is strongly transverse to the direction of propagation. The best obtained transmission is over 95% for TE-like modes.