Fabrication of photonic band gap crystal using microtransfer molded templates

We have proposed and demonstrated an economical technique to fabricate a three-dimensional layer-by-layer photonic band gap structure in the infrared wavelengths. An organic polymer template structure, an inverse layer-by-layer photonic crystal structure, is assembled using the microtransfer molding technique. This template is infiltrated with sol-gel or nanoparticle titanium oxide slurry, then later removed by heat treatment at a temperature range of 550-800 degreesC. This method can be extended to fabricate photonic crystals operating at optical and ultraviolet frequencies. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.