Resonant optical devices incorporating multi-layer dispersion-engineered waveguides

A resonant optical device, comprising:

• a transmission optical waveguide;
• and
• an optical resonator transverse-coupled to the transmission optical waveguide so as to enable optical signal power transfer therebetween,
• the transmission optical waveguide being adapted for receiving optical signal power from an optical signal transmission system or transmitting optical signal power to the optical signal transmission system,
• the optical resonator including a laterally-confined multi-layer dispersion-engineered waveguide structure, the multi-layer waveguide structure including at least one multi-layer reflector stack and at least one active layer, the active layer being adapted for exhibiting varying optical loss or varying modal-index in response to an applied control signal,
• the optical resonator being transverse-coupled to the transmission optical waveguide through the multi-layer waveguide structure, the multi-layer waveguide structure being adapted for enabling control, by application of a control signal, of optical signal power transfer between the transmission optical waveguide and the optical resonator, a resonant frequency of the optical resonator, or optical loss of the optical resonator, thereby further enabling modulation of transmission of optical signal power through the transmission optical waveguide when the optical signal is substantially resonant with the optical resonator.