This thesis consist of a theoretical study of propagation effects in optical waveguides, fibres and photonic crystals, with some comparison with experiment.¶ Chapter 1 gives a brief introduction with the current view of optical components in photonic integrated circuits and issues related to the loss mechanism.¶ In Chapter 2 the characteristics of single-mode propagation and transient effects in practical square- and rectangular-core buried channel planar waveguides are quantified, assuming a cladding which is unbounded in one transverse dimension and bounded in the other. The wavelength cut-off condition for the fundamental mode is determined when the cladding index is asymmetric and composed of step-wise, uniform index regions.¶ In Chapter 3, the application of segmented reflection gratings in planar devices that can function as either a single- or two-wavelength add/drop filter is investigated and a numerical technique developed in Chapter 2 is applied to the waveguides with high extinction ratio. The role of the segmented gratings is analogous to that of a blazed grating, but they can provide a higher reflectivity level at the Bragg wavelength, eliminate back reflection into the fundamental mode and provide arbitrarily small channel spacing in the two-wavelength case.¶ Chapters 4 address the problem of bend loss in a single-mode slab waveguide. A new theoretical strategy for reducing bend loss is presented and compared to existing designs. The results obtained in this chapter are the basis for the following two chapters.¶ Chapter 5 deals with bend loss in single-mode buried channel waveguides and demonstrates that the new strategy can lead to significant bend loss reduction when compared to other strategies, and, conversely, can be used to enhance bend loss for a fixed bend radius for application to devices such as optical attenuators.¶ In Chapter 6, a novel design of a variable optical attenuator based on a bent channel waveguide is proposed, realized by applying a new strategy for bend loss control in a polymer buried channel waveguide.¶ Chapter 7 investigates effects of the additional rings in a single mode step-index fibre on bend loss. It is supported with the experimental results of Ron Bailey from Optical the Fibre Technology Centre, University in Sydney.¶ In Chapter 8, bend loss of a one-dimensional photonic crystal is quantified and compared to bend loss of a standard single-mode slab waveguide and a bend-resistant waveguide.¶

This thesis proposes research of novel hybrid photonic signal processing systems in the areas of optical communications, test and measurement, RF signal processing and extreme environment optical sensors. It will be shown that use of innovative hybrid techniques allows design of photonic signal processing systems with superior performance parameters and enhanced capabilities. These applications can be divided into domains of analog-digital hybrid signal processing applications and free-space--fiber-coupled hybrid optical sensors. The analog-digital hybrid signal processing applications include a high-performance analog-digital hybrid MEMS variable optical attenuator that can simultaneously provide high dynamic range as well as high resolution attenuation controls; an analog-digital hybrid MEMS beam profiler that allows high-power watt-level laser beam profiling and also provides both submicron-level high resolution and wide area profiling coverage; and all optical transversal RF filters that operate on the principle of broadband optical spectral control using MEMS and/or Acousto-Optic tunable Filters (AOTF) devices which can provide continuous, digital or hybrid signal time delay and weight selection. The hybrid optical sensors presented in the thesis are extreme environment pressure sensors and dual temperature-pressure sensors. The sensors employ hybrid free-space and fiber-coupled techniques for remotely monitoring a system under simultaneous extremely high temperatures and pressures.