Nanostructure Technology for Making Photonic Crystals

谢勒电磁波在多维周期性结构中的传播与电子波在真实的晶体中的传播之间的类比已被证明是非常富有成效的类比。最初的努力是由“光子带隙”的前景激发的;光子带隙是三维电介质结构中的频带，其中电磁波被禁止，而不管空间中的传播方向如何。 这些三维周期性的电介质结构通常被称为“光子晶体”。 这些可以在光电子学中用作所谓的“零阈值激光器”和单模发光二极管的电磁微腔。 这种结构将表现出抑制自发发射，这可以降低功率要求并增加可靠性，特别是光学阵列的可靠性。 可替代地，这样的结构可以显示增强的自发发射，这将允许光互连的更快的调制速度。 这一更新补助金与加州大学洛杉矶分校的伊利亚布洛诺维奇教授提供的基本相同的补助金平行提供。 资金允许继续加州理工学院/加州大学洛杉矶分校的联合努力，以开发在光波长范围内制造三维光子晶体结构的技术，并提高这些结构的结构精度和中隙反射率。 这种精细的光子晶体结构将有助于光电子技术，并且它们在光学科学中具有普遍的用途。 ***

9632937 Scherer The analogy between electromagnetic wave propagation in multi-dimensional periodic structures, and electron wave propagation in real crystals, have proven to be a very fruitful one. Initial efforts were motivated by the prospect, of a "photonic bandgap"; a frequency band in 3-dimensional dielectric structures, in which electromagnetic waves are forbidden, irrespective of propagation direction in space. These 3-dimensionally periodic dielectric structures are frequently called "photonic crystals". These can be useful in opto-electronics as electromagnetic microcavities for so-called "zero-thresold lasers" and single-mode light emitting diodes. Such structures would exhibit inhibited spontaneous emission, which could lower the power requirements and increase reliability, particularly of optical arrays. Alternately, such structures can show enhanced spontaneous emission which would allow faster modulation speeds for optical interconnects. This renewal grant is funded in parallel with a substantially identical one by Prof. Ely Yablonovich at UCLA. Funding allows continuation of the joint Caltech/UCLA effort to develop the technology for making 3-dimensional photonic crystal structures at the scale of optical wavelengths, and to improve the structural precision and midgap reflectivity of these structures. Such refined photonic crystal structures shculd lend themselves to opto-electronic technology, and they be generically useful in optical science. ***