3-D, silicon, infrared, photonic lattices

Three-dimensional photonic lattices are engineered "materials" which are the photonic analogues of semiconductors. These structures were first proposed and demonstrated in the mid-to-late 1980's. However, due to fabrication difficulties, lattices active in the infrared are only just emerging. A variety of structures and fabrication approaches have been investigated. The most promising approach for many potential applications is a diamond-like structure fabricated using silicon microprocessing techniques. This approach has enabled the fabrication of 3-D silicon photonic lattices active in the infrared. The structures display bandgaps centered from 12 mu down to 1.55 mu, depending on pitch.