INTEGRATED PHOTONIC CRYSTAL STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME

摘要

An integrated photonic crystal (IPC) structure and method of producing same is disclosed. The (IPC) structure includes a first layered sub-structure (610, 620) with a surface and a one-dimensionalperiodic refractive index variation along the direction perpendicular to the surface. This first layered sub-structure enables a photonic band gap or high omnidirectional reflectivity for propagation of radiation having a spectrum of electromagnetic modes incident from a direction perpendicular to the plane of the surface. The IPC-structure further includes a first defect (630) in the first layered sub-structure that enables an electromagnetic mode to be localised in the vicinity of the first defect. The electromagnetic radiation is hereby vertically confined. Furthermore, the IPC-structure consists of a second sub-structure with a plurality of essentially straight identical passages (635) arranged in a two dimensional periodic pattern cutting through the layered structure at an angle alpha . This second sub-structure enables a two-dmensional photonic band gap for propagation of radiation having a spectrum of electromagnetic modes incident from any direction in the plane of the surface. A second defect (640) in the second sub-structure enables an electromagnetic mode to be localised in the vicinity of the second defect. By means of the first and second defects in the first layered and second sub-structures a photonic crystal waveguide may e.g. be constructed (650). This photonic crystal waveguide can control and filter light very efficiently and radiation losses can be minimised significantly. The method is particularly well-suited for providing layered structures in which the layers are non-mono-crystalline. The method is based on standard processing steps and tools from the semiconductor and integrated optics industry such as vapour deposition or sputtering, (photo)lithography and etching. With the invention a basic building block for a high-density integrated optics platform for telecommunications and advanced optical signal processing in general is disclosed.