Band structures for functionalized waveguide arrays: Theory and experiment

Arrays of coupled waveguides where light propagates as Floquet-Bloch (FB) waves while remaining guided have proven to be both excellent models for demonstrating fundamental effects and promising platforms for all-optical routing [1]. We proposed to engineer the propagation of guided light by patterning the coupling between neighboring waveguides [2]. In this guidonics framework, a whole set of new configurations and applications such as beam steering, imaging or gating can be designed simply. We report here on the first steps of the systematic implementation of this framework into actual devices.