CAREER: Fabrication of Two- and Three-Dimensional Photonic Crystals

9501820 Mayer这个项目的主要目标是刺激和激励各个层次（本科生、研究生、研究生）的学习。在基础研究方面，作者建议开发一种制造二维和三维（二维和三维）光子晶体的工艺。所制备的三维周期介电结构为简单立方晶格中的方棒结构。这种脚手架结构的特点是所有的平面都彼此成直角。直观地说，这意味着这种方棒结构的制造过程将比面心立方晶格的制造过程容易得多。所提出的工艺依赖于目前用于制造III-V光电子器件的许多技术的集成。特别是，三维结构将由分子束外延（MBE）生长的GaAs/A1As堆叠制成。在生长之后，利用电子束光刻技术在表面样品上定义了亚微米交叉孵化图案。使用反应离子束蚀刻（RIBE）去除GaAs/A1As堆叠的未保护区域。为了完成光子晶体，在选择性蚀刻剂中修改A1As支架的组成结构并去除A1As的交替层。在得到这个3-D结果的过程中，还将制造一个2-D结构。这两种光子晶体都将用透射法进行表征。光学波长下的三维光子晶体的成功演示将允许开发一种新型设备，可用于反射、捕获、引导和开关光。＊＊＊

9501820 Mayer The primary objective of this project is to stimulate and motivate learning at every level (undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate). In the area of fundamental research, the author proposes to develop a process to fabricate 2- and 3- dimensional (2- and 3-D) photonic crystals for optical wavelengths. The 3-D periodic dielectric structure that will be fabricated is a square-rod structure in the simple-cubic lattice. This scaffold structure has the property that all of the flat faces are at right angles to one another. Intuitively, this implies that the fabrication procedure for this square-rod structure will be much easier than those described for face-centered-cubic lattices. The proposed process relies on the integration of many techniques that are currently being used to fabricate III-V optoelectronic devices. In particular, the 3-D structure will be fabricated from a GaAs/A1As stack grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Following the growth, a submicron cross-hatched pattern is defined on the sample of the surface using electron-beam lithography. The unprotected areas of the GaAs/A1As stack are removed using reactive ion beam etching (RIBE). To complete the photonic crystal, the compositional structure of the A1As supports is modified and the alternating layers of A1As are removed in a selective etchant. En route to this 3-D result, a 2-D structure will also be fabricated. Both of these photonic crystals will be characterized by the transmission method. The successful demonstration of a 3-D photonic crystal at optical wavelengths would allow the development of a new class of devices that could be used to reflect, trap, guide, and switch light. ***