A three-dimensional photonic crystal operating at infrared wavelengths

The ability to confine and control light in three dimensions would have important implications for quantum optics and quantum-optical devices: the modification of black-body radiation, the localization of light to a fraction of a cubic wavelength, and thus the realization of single-mode light-emitti...

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Veröffentlicht in:Nature (London) 1998-07, Vol.394 (6690), p.251-253
Hauptverfasser: Lin, S. Y., Fleming, J. G., Hetherington, D. L., Smith, B. K., Biswas, R., Ho, K. M., Sigalas, M. M., Zubrzycki, W., Kurtz, S. R., Bur, Jim
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:The ability to confine and control light in three dimensions would have important implications for quantum optics and quantum-optical devices: the modification of black-body radiation, the localization of light to a fraction of a cubic wavelength, and thus the realization of single-mode light-emitting diodes, are but a few examples 1 , 2 , 3 . Photonic crystals — the optical analogues of electronic crystal — provide a means for achieving these goals. Combinations of metallic and dielectric materials can be used to obtain the required three-dimensional periodic variations in dielectric constant, but dissipation due to free carrier absorption will limit application of such structures at the technologically useful infrared wavelengths 4 . On the other hand, three-dimensional photonic crystals fabricated in low-loss gallium arsenide show only a weak ‘stop band’ (that is, range of frequencies at which propagation of light is forbidden) at the wavelengths of interest 5 . Here we report the construction of a three-dimensional infrared photonic crystal on a silicon wafer using relatively standard microelectronics fabrication technology. Our crystal shows a large stop band (10–14.5 μm), strong attenuation of light within this band (∼12 dB per unit cell) and a spectral response uniform to better than 1 per cent over the area of the 6-inch wafer.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/28343