Two-dimensional Si photonic crystals on oxide using SOI substrate

Two-dimensional photonic crystals (2D-PhCs) on oxide can be easily incorporated into photonic integrated circuits. Although an asymmetrical structure (air/PhC/oxide) is advantageous in terms of ease of fabrication, it has been pointed out that such a structure may have no photonic band gap (PBG). To clarify the characteristics of the asymmetrical structure, we calculated the band structure using the three-dimensional (3D) FDTD method and measured the transmission characteristics of a fabricated 2D Si-PhC on oxide. The calculations show that we can use a quasi-PBG even in an asymmetrical structure when the PhC thickness satisfies the single-mode condition. The measured transmission characteristics correspond to the calculated band structure and reveal the existence of a quasi-PBG. These results show that the asymmetrical 2D Si-PhC-on-oxide structure can be applied to various optical devices.