Abstract
A directional coupler formed by two Bragg reflection waveguides (BRWs) with a common finite periodic region between them is analyzed. The coupling coefficient is a sensitive function of the index difference in the periodic coupling section. This feature can lead to a novel kind of electrooptic switch. In addition, the BRW directional coupler exhibits dispersion properties characteristic of the periodic bounding media, which can be used to implement a narrowband wavelength filter and a TE polarizer.