Nanofabrication of advanced waveguide structures incorporating a visible photonic band gap

In this paper, we present the nanofabrication of novel semiconductor waveguide devices incorporating a photonic band structure within the guiding core layer. Our devices are based on a two-dimensional triangular array of air holes etched through the cladding and core layers of a blanket silicon nitride waveguide. These are then micromachined to create unusual pore profiles with features as small as 30 nm. We demonstrate a polarization dependent photonic band gap in the visible region of the spectrum.