New principle for optical filters

A theoretical characterization of the guided-mode resonance properties of planar dielectric waveguide gratings is presented. Efficient exchange of energy between forward and backward propagating diffracted waves is shown to be possible with smooth line shapes. The linewidths of the resonances can be controlled by the grating modulation amplitude. Due to the inherent separation between the TE and TM modes associated with the waveguide grating, these elements can provide polarization separation. Applications to polarization sensitive filtering and to electro-optic switching are suggested. The guided-mode resonance filter represents a basic new optical element.