All dielectric Mie-resonant waveguides and nanophotonic structures (Invited Paper)

Recent advancements in nanofabrication technology have allowed for the implementation of nanostructures smaller than the wavelength of light on photonic chips. Integrating mature photonic waveguide technologies with concepts derived from nanophotonics offers exciting possibilities for achieving unparalleled manipulation of guided light waves. Nevertheless, the task of creating novel functionalities while maintaining efficiency and compatibility with existing technology poses a major challenge in the field of on-chip nanophotonics. Here, we introduce a new type of silicon-based optical meta-waveguide operating in the telecom spectral range. Our waveguides comprise a chain of Mie-resonant silicon nano resonators designed to exhibit nearly exclusively forward-scattering characteristics. This yields unique optical properties, including a large transmission gain and efficiently suppressed backscattering even in the presence of strong perturbations. This is an unprecedented combination of characteristics for any photonic system supporting guided modes, thereby unlocking completely new opportunities for fundamental research as well as future applications.