Nanostructure Technology for Making Photonic Crystals

9632937谢勒将电磁波在多维周期结构中的传播与电子波在实际晶体中的传播进行类比，已被证明是一个非常有成果的类比。最初的努力是受到“光子带隙”的前景的激励，这是一种三维介质结构中的频带，其中电磁波是被禁止的，无论其在空间中的传播方向如何。这些三维周期性的介电结构通常被称为“光子晶体”。它们在光电子学中非常有用，可以用作所谓的“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的自发辐射，这可以降低功率要求并提高可靠性，特别是光学阵列。或者，这种结构可以表现出增强的自发辐射，这将允许光学互连的更快的调制速度。这笔续签拨款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拨款是平行提供的。资金使加州理工大学和加州大学洛杉矶分校的联合努力得以继续，以开发在光学波长尺度上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间能隙反射率。这种精细的光子晶体结构适合于光电子技术，它们在光学科学中普遍有用。***

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. ***