Two-dimensional photonic-bandgap structures operating at near-infrared wavelengths

• Published in: Nature (London) 1996-10, Vol.383 (6602), p.699-702
• Main Authors: Krauss, Thomas F, Rue, Richard M. De La, Brand, Stuart
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Crystallography; Electromagnetism; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Humanities and Social Sciences; letter; multidisciplinary; Optical materials; Optics; Photonic bandgap materials; Physics; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Semiconductors; Wavelengths
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/383699a0

PHOTONIC crystals are artificial structures having a periodic dielectric structure designed to influence the behaviour of photons in much the same way that the crystal structure of a semiconductor affects the properties of electrons 1 . In particular, photonic crystals forbid propagation of photons having a certain range of energies (known as a photonic bandgap), a property that could be incorporated in the design of novel optoelectronic devices 2 . Following the demonstration of a material with a full photonic bandgap at microwave frequencies 3 , there has been considerable progress in the fabrication of three-dimensional photonic crystals with operational wavelengths as short as 1.5 μm (ref. 4), although the optical properties of such structures are still far from ideal 5 . Here we show that, by restricting the geometry of the photonic crystal to two dimensions (in a waveguide configuration), structures with polarization-sensitive photonic band-gaps at still lower wavelengths (in the range 800–900 nm) can be readily fabricated. Our approach should permit the straightfor-ward integration of photonic-bandgap structures with other optical and optoelectronic devices.