Two-dimensional photonic crystals with pure germanium-on-insulator

We have investigated pure germanium two-dimensional photonic crystals. The photonic crystals which exhibit resonances in the near infrared spectral range were fabricated on germanium-on-insulator substrates using standard silicon-based processing. The germanium-on-insulator substrate consists of a thin layer of pure germanium-on-oxide deposited on a silicon substrate. The optical properties are probed by the direct band gap optical recombination of pure germanium at room temperature. Resonant optical modes are evidenced between 1.68 and 1.53 μm in different type of hexagonal cavities (H1-H5). The spectral position of the modes is controlled by the lattice periodicity and air filling factor of the photonic crystals. Close to the Ge band edge, the quality factors are limited by the bulk material absorption.     

Two-dimensional photonic crystals with a lattice defect: Spectrum of defect modes, localization of light, and formation of evanescent waves

Properties of an electromagnetic field localized in the defect modes of two-dimensional photonic crystals are studied. The defect-mode spectrum of these structures is calculated, electromagnetic field localization and channeling effects are analyzed, and the properties of the field inside and beyond a photonic crystal with a lattice defect are also studied. The calculations show that the electromagnetic field is localized in the defect mode of a photonic crystal in a region smaller than the wavelength. The dependence of the defect-mode spectrum on the parameters of the photonic crystal is investigated and possibilities for controlling the spectrum of defect modes are indicated. It is shown that the optical field leaving a photonic crystal possesses the properties of a evanescent wave, which means that spatial resolution substantially greater than the wavelength of the radiation can be achieved in the near field and opens up possibilities for using photonic crystals with a lattice defect in near-field optical microscopy. The possibility of externally controlling an optical field localized in the defect modes of a photonic crystals is demonstrated.     

Optical properties of one-dimensional photonic crystals obtained by micromatchining silicon (a review)

The theoretical and experimental investigations of photonic band gaps in one-dimensional photonic crystals created by micromatchining silicon, which have been performed by the author as part of his doctoral dissertation, are presented. The most important result of the work is the development of a method of modeling photonic crystals based on photonic band gap maps plotted in structure–property coordinates, which can be used with any optical materials and in any region of electromagnetic radiation, and also for nonperiodic structures. This method made it possible to realize the targeted control of the optical contrast of photonic crystals and to predict the optical properties of optical heterostructures and three-component and composite photonic crystals. The theoretical findings were experimentally implemented using methods of micromatchining silicon, which can be incorporated into modern technological lines for the production of microchips. In the IR spectra of a designed and a fabricated optical heterostructure (a composite photonic crystal), extended bands with high reflectivities were obtained. In a Si-based three-component photonic crystal, broad transmission bands and photonic band gaps in the middle IR region have been predicted and experimentally demonstrated for the first time. Si–liquid crystal periodic structures with electric-field tunable photonic band-gap edges have been investigated. The one-dimensional photonic crystals developed based on micromatchining silicon can serve as a basis for creating components of optical processors, as well as highly sensitive chemical and biological sensors in a wide region of the IR spectrum (from 1 to 20 μm) for lab-on-a-chip applications.     

二维函数光子晶体

光子晶体是由两种或两种以上不同介电常数材料所构成的周期性光学纳米结构.光子晶体结构可分为一维、二维和三维,其中二维光子晶体已成为研究的热点.可调带隙的二维光子晶体可以设计出新型的光学器件,因此,对它的研究具有重要的理论意义和应用价值.本文提出的二维新型函数光子晶体可以实现光子晶体带隙的可调性.所谓二维函数光子晶体,即组成它的介质柱的介电常数是空间坐标的函数,它不同于介电常数为常数的二维常规光子晶体.二维函数光子晶体是通过光折变非线性光学效应或电光效应使介质柱的介电常数成为空间坐标的函数.运用平面波展开法给出了TE和TM波的本征方程,由傅里叶变换得到二维函数光子晶体介电常数ε(r)的傅里叶变换ε(G),其傅里叶变换比常规二维光子晶体的复杂.计算发现当介质柱介电常数为常数时,其傅里叶变换与常规二维光子晶体的相同,因此二维常规光子晶体是二维函数光子晶体的特例.在此基础上具体研究了二维函数光子晶体TE波和TM波的带隙结构,其介质柱介电常数函数形式取为ε(r)=k·r+b,其中k,b为可调的参数.并与二维常规光子晶体TE波和TM波的带隙结构进行了比较,发现二维函数光子晶体与二维常规光子晶体TE波和TM波的带隙结构有明显的区别,二维函数光子晶体的带隙数目、位置以及宽度随参数k的变化而发生改变.从而实现了二维函数光子晶体带隙结构的可调性,为基于二维光子晶体的光学器件的设计提供了新的设计方法和重要的理论依据.     

Optical channel drop filters based on photonic crystal ring resonators

A new optical channel drop filters (CDFs) configuration based on photonic crystals ring resonators (PCRRs) is provided. The transmission characteristics for single-ring and multiple-ring configurations have been investigated by using the two-dimensional (2D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique in triangular lattice photonic crystal (PC) silicon rods. Both forward and backward dropping were achieved in dual-ring PCRR structures. In this filter, 100% drop efficiency and acceptable quality factor can be obtained at 1550 nm. The present device can be used in the future photonic integrated circuits.     

Design,fabrication and optical characterization of GaAs photonic crystal nanocavity lasers with InAs quantum dots gain wafer-bonded onto Si substrates

We designed and fabricated III–V compound semiconductor two-dimensional photonic crystal (PhC) thin film slabs with quantum dots (QDs) inside formed on Si substrates for highly integrated silicon photonic circuits with built-in nanolasers. Defect-shifted L3 type PhC nanocavities formed in GaAs thin films embedding 1.3 μm-emitting InAs QDs layer-transferred onto Si substrates were investigated. Quality factors <1000 for the PhC nanocavities on SiO₂ were enhanced up to ∼8000 by removing SiO₂ to form air-bridge structures, resulting in room temperature, continuous wave lasing.     

Order to disorder optical phase transition in random photonic crystals

Transition process of optical modal properties induced by the introduction of randomness into random photonic crystals is investigated by a computational method. We analyze an impulse response of two-dimensional triangular photonic crystals, in which the positions of the air holes are slightly deviated to random directions. It is shown that the appropriate degree of random departure from a perfect crystal state gives rise to multiple scattering of low group velocity band-edge modes and supports their strong Anderson localization. The achieved confinement efficiency of light exceeds the one obtained in the perfect photonic crystal state.     

Analysis of ultra-small photonic large scale integrated circuits

A detailed study of a platform of ultra-small photonic large-scale integrated circuits was conducted. Bandgap structure calculations of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) based photonic crystals have been investigated. The photonic crystal consists of dielectric cylinders in air. Using the band structure calculations we obtained design parameters for the proposed structures. The coupling between the photonic crystal and a waveguide fabricated from SOI system has been analysed. It is shown that the optical coupling is improved by interfacing different types of spot-size converters (SSCs) between the SOI waveguide and the photonic crystal. Also, the possibility and limitations of silicon doped germanium and SOI photonic crystals to analyse the light guiding in the third dimension is discussed.     

Synthesis and photonic band gap characterization of high quality photonic crystal heterostructures

High quality photonic crystal heterostructures with a thin titania planar defect layer between its two constitutional photonic crystals were fabricated and their structural and optical properties were analyzed. The results suggest that the thin planar defect layer is beneficial to separate the two constitutional photonic crystals from each other and to reduce the roughness of the interface. The quality of the resulting photonic crystal heterostructures is improved largely and the main features of the photonic band gaps of the two constitutional photonic crystals are inherited. The predominant optical quality of these heterostructures (e.g. deep double photonic band gaps and steep photonic band edges) may afford new flexibility and functionality for engineered photonic behavior in practical devices such as late-model light-operated switches.     

Magneto-optical defects in two-dimensional photonic crystals

We analyze the properties of magneto-optical defect states in two-dimensional photonic crystals. With out-of-plane magnetization, the magneto-optical coupling splits doubly-degenerate TE states into two counter-rotating modes at different frequencies. The strength of magneto-optical coupling strongly depends on the spatial overlap of the cavity domain structures and the cross product of the modal fields. The transport property of the resultant nonreciprocal states is demonstrated in a junction circulator structure with a magneto-optical cavity coupled to three waveguides. By a proper matching of the magneto-optical frequency splitting with the cavity decay rate into the waveguide, ideal three-port circulator characteristics with complete isolation and transmission can be achieved, with an operational bandwidth proportional to the magneto-optical constant. The proposed optical circulator in a bismuth-iron-garnet/air photonic crystal is demonstrated with finite-difference time-domain calculations and is compared to an alternative implementation of silicon/air crystal infiltrated with a single bismuth-iron-garnet domain.     

Physics and applications of photonic crystals

In this article, we investigate how the photonic band gaps and the variety of band dispersions of photonic crystals can be utilized for various applications and how they further give rise to completely novel optical phenomena. The enhancement of spontaneous emission through coupled cavity waveguides in a one-dimensional silicon nitride photonic microcrystal is investigated. We then present the highly directive radiation from sources embedded in two-dimensional photonic crystals. The manifestation of novel and intriguing optical properties of photonic crystals are exemplified experimentally by the negative refraction and the focusing of electromagnetic waves through a photonic crystal slab with subwavelength resolution.     

Analysis of tunable bandgaps in liquid crystal-infiltrated 2D silicon photonic crystals

We present a theoretical study on two-dimensional photonic crystals composed of silicon and the E7 liquid crystal. We analyze how the optical axis orientation of the liquid crystal influences the photonic bands and bandgaps, for the case when the Maxwell equations can be decoupled into the TE and TM modes. We consider two different structures, a triangular lattice of E7 liquid crystal cylinders in a silicon background and a triangular lattice of silicon cylinders in an E7 liquid crystal background. The effect of the liquid crystal anisotropy on the geometry of the irreducible Brillouin zone allows us to propose a simplified way to calculate the photonic bandgaps. Results show that the bandgap width and center frequency have a 60° periodicity for both structures. Using the plane-wave expansion method, we determined the maximum bandgap and the optimal radius of the cylinders for each structure. Finally, for the second structure, we propose an optical switch with a 50% duty cycle. These structures can be applied to design tunable photonic devices.     

Negative refraction in two-dimensional photonic crystals

We present some of our recent results for negative refraction in photonic crystals. The concept of negative refraction in photonic crystals is firstly introduced. Then, the propagation of electromagnetic waves in photonic crystals is systematically studied. By the layer Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker method, the coupling efficiency between external plane waves and the Bloch waves in photonic crystals is investigated. It is found that the coupling coefficient is highly angular dependent even for an interface between air with n=1 and a photonic crystal with effective index n_eff=-1. It is also shown that, for point imaging by a photonic crystal slab, owing to the negative refraction, the influence of the surface termination on the transmission and the imaging quality is significant. Finally, we present results experimentally demonstrating negative refraction in a two-dimensional photonic crystal at optical communication wavelengths. PACS 42.70.Qs; 41.85.Ct; 42.30.Va     

Optical properties of metamaterial-based devices modulated by a liquid crystal

Due to the fact that it is possible to manipulate light with photonic crystals (PCs), PCs hold a great potential for designing new optical devices. There has been an increase in research on tuning the optical properties of PCs to design devices. We presented a numerical study of optical properties of metamaterial-based devices by liquid crystal infiltration. The plane wave expansion method and finite-difference time-domain method for both TE and TM modes revealed optical properties in photonic crystal structures in an air background for a square lattice. E7 type has been used as a nematic liquid crystal and SrTiO₃ as a ferroelectric material. We showed the possibility of the metamaterials for a two-dimensional photonic crystal cavity on a ferroelectric base infiltrated with a nematic liquid crystal.     

Localized electromagnetic modes and the transmission spectrum of a one-dimensional photonic crystal with lattice defects

The properties of localized electromagnetic modes in a one-dimensional photonic crystal with a structural defect layer were studied. The role of the defect was played by an anisotropic nematic liquid crystal layer. The frequency and the damping factor of defect modes were shown to substantially depend on the defect layer thickness and the orientation of the optical axis of the nematic. The transmission spectra of photonic crystals with one and two lattice defects were studied. Taking into account the special feature of nematic liquid crystals distinguishing them from usual crystals, namely, large permittivity anisotropy, it was shown that the transmission spectrum of the photonic crystal could be controlled by varying the orientation of the optical axis of the nematic, for instance, under the action of an external electric field.     

PBG properties of three-component 2D photonic crystals

In this paper we analyze theoretically how the introduction of the third component into the two-dimensional photonic crystal influences the photonic band structure and the density-of-states of the system. We consider the periodic array of cylindrical air rods in a dielectric, and the third medium is introduced as a ring-shaped intermediate layer of thickness d and dielectric constant _i between the air pores and the dielectric background. Using the plane wave method, we have obtained the band structures for the 2D triangular lattice photonic crystals. The dependencies of TE and TM band gaps’ widths and gaps’ edges position on the interlayer dielectric constant and interlayer thickness were analyzed. In the framework of this approach, we have estimated the influence of the surface oxide layer on the band structure of macroporous silicon. We observed the shift of the gaps’ edges to the higher or lower frequencies, depending on the interlayer thickness and dielectric constant. We have shown that the existence of a native oxide surface layer should be taken into consideration to understand the optical properties of 2D photonic crystals, particularly in macroporous silicon structures.     

一维缺陷光子晶体温度的测量

采用Si和SiO₂两种介质材料构造一维缺陷光子晶体,缺陷层介质为Si,利用传输矩阵法对带有缺陷的一维光子晶体的传光特性进行了理论分析,并得到其带隙特性.由于缺陷的存在,使得光子晶体的透射谱中产生缺陷峰.当被测温度变化时,根据两种介质的热光效应和热膨胀效应,光子晶体介质和缺陷层的光学厚度和折射率发生变化,透射谱缺陷峰产生漂移,由缺陷峰的中心波长漂移量得到被测温度的大小.构建了一维缺陷光子晶体测量温度的实验系统,实验结果表明缺陷峰中心波长与光子晶体所受的温度呈线性关系,测量灵敏度为0—2 关键词： 温度测量 一维光子晶体 传输矩阵法 缺陷峰     

Fabrication of two-dimensional organic photonic crystal filter

A high quality two-dimensional photonic crystal filter made of polystyrene is fabricated by the method of focused ion beam etching. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmittance spectrum are used to characterize the properties of photonic crystal filter. The measured transmittance spectrum is in agreement with the theoretical one. It is found that the filtering properties of photonic crystal filter, including the position and quality factor of optical channel, can be tuned by adjusting the width of line defect. PACS 42.70.Qs; 61.46.+w; 81.15.-z     

Silicon-based two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguides

A review of the properties of silicon-based two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals is given, essentially infinite 2D photonic crystals made from macroporous silicon and photonic crystal slabs based on silicon-on-insulator basis. We discuss the bulk photonic crystal properties with particular attention to the light cone and its impact on the band structure. The application for wave guiding is discussed for both material systems, and compared to classical waveguides based on index-guiding. Losses of resonant waveguide modes above the light line are discussed in detail.     

近红外波段硅基金属光子晶体平板的亚波长成像特性

利用时域有限差分方法,理论上研究了由正方形金属嵌入背景材料硅中组成的二维正方晶格和三角晶格光子晶体的亚波长成像特性。采用Drude模型描述金属银的色散特性,在近红外波段该模型可以很好地描述金属的实际介电常数。通过结构参数的设计,在上述两种结构中实现了波长在1550nm附近的亚波长成像,并且发现金属对入射光的吸收使得成像位置处的光强稍有降低,但是对于光子晶体亚波长成像的质量并无影响。相对于通常的硅基空气孔型光子晶体亚波长成像器件,该种硅基金属型全固态光子晶体结构更加稳定,因而可以更好地在复杂全光集成回路中加以实际应用。