Transmission Spectral Characteristics of Photonic Crystals Milled in Annealed Proton-Exchange LiNbO_3 Waveguide

Transmission spectra of triangular lattice photonic crystals milled in the top surface of an annealed proton-exchange waveguide are numerically simulated. The effects of the finite depth, conical shape, trapezoidal shape and hybrid shape of holes are theoretically analyzed. Due to the difficulty of milling high aspect-ratio cylindrical holes in lithium niobate (LiNbO_3), a compromised solution is proposed to improve the overlap between shallow holes and the waveguide mode, and useful transmission spectra with strong contrast and sharp band edges are achieved.