The term photonic crystals appears because of the analogy between electron waves in crystals and the light waves in artificial periodic dielectric structures. During the recent years the investigation of one-, two-and three-dimensional periodic structures has attracted a widespread attention of the world optics community because of great potentiality of such structures in advanced applied optical fields. The interest in periodic structures has been stimulated by the fast development of semiconductor technology that now allows the fabrication of artificial structures, whose period is comparable with the wavelength of light in the visible and infrared ranges.

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/6354/16969/00781867.pdf

Photonic crystals

Lasing action of a surface-emitting laser with a two-dimensional photonic crystal structure is investigated. The photonic crystal has a triangular-lattice structure composed of InP and air holes, which is integrated with an InGaAsP/InP multiple-quantum-well active layer by a wafer fusion technique. Uniform two-dimensional lasing oscillation based on the coupling of light propagating in six equivalent Γ−X directions is successfully observed, where the wavelength of the active layer is designed to match the folded (second-order) Γ point of the Γ−X direction. The very narrow divergence angle of far field pattern and/or the lasing spectrum, which is considered to reflect the two-dimensional stop band, also indicate that the lasing oscillation occurs coherently.

Coherent two-dimensional lasing action in surface-emitting laser with triangular-lattice photonic crystal structure

The increasing speed of fibre-optic-based telecommunications has focused attention on high-speed optical processing of digital information1. Complex optical processing requires a high-density, high-speed, low-power optical memory that can be integrated with planar semiconductor technology for buffering of decisions and telecommunication data2. Recently, ring lasers with extremely small size and low operating power have been made3,4,5,6,7, and we demonstrate here a memory element constructed by interconnecting these microscopic lasers. Our device occupies an area of 18 × 40 µm2 on an InP/InGaAsP photonic integrated circuit, and switches within 20 ps with 5.5 fJ optical switching energy. Simulations show that the element has the potential for much smaller dimensions and switching times. Large numbers of such memory elements can be densely integrated and interconnected on a photonic integrated circuit: fast digital optical information processing systems employing large-scale integration should now be viable.

A fast low-power optical memory based on coupled micro-ring lasers.

The production of materials with micrometre- and submicrometre-scale patterns is of importance in a range of applications, such as photonic materials, high-density magnetic data storage devices, microchip reactors and biosensors. One method of preparing such structures is through the assembly of colloidal particles. Micropatterned colloidal assemblies have been produced with lithographically patterned electrodes or micromoulds. Here we describe a different method that combines the well-known photochemical sensitivity of semiconductors with electric-field-induced assembly to create ordered arrays of micrometre-sized colloidal particles with tunable patterns. We show that light affects the assembly processes, and demonstrate how to produce patterns using electrophoretic deposition in the presence of an ultraviolet (UV) illumination motif. The distribution of current across an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode can be altered by varying the illumination intensity: during the deposition process, this causes colloidal particles to be swept from darkened areas into lighted regions. Illumination also assists in immobilizing the particles on the electrode surface. Although the details of these processes are not well understood, the patterning effects of the UV light are discussed in terms of alterations in the current density that affects particle assembly on an ITO electrode.

Electrophoretic assembly of colloidal crystals with optically tunable micropatterns

http://nathan.instras.com/documentDB/paper-89.pdf

Photonic crystals in the optical regime — past, present and future

We form a new type of optical microcavity using 2D photonic crystals embedded in a half wavelength thick waveguide Modes localized to a single defect in the photonic crystal can be theoretically shown to have small mode volumes The flexibility in design of the photonic crystal enables one to tailor the device for vertical emission or for coupling into an in-plane waveguide The added versatility in being able to etch the laser cavity may also help develop low threshold laser sources in material systems in which high index contrast epitaxial mirrors do not exist

/pdf/two-dimensional-photonic-bandgap-defect-laser-8y7q78m8c8.pdf

Two-dimensional photonic bandgap defect laser

We present finite-difference time-domain calculations of the Q factor for an optical microcavity defined by a slab waveguide and two-dimensional photonic-crystal end mirrors. The effect of the finite depth of the photonic crystal on the cavity s optical modes is examined. From these calculations, we can optimize the performance of the photonic-crystal mirrors and determine the loss mechanisms within optical cavities defined by these structures. The Q of the cavity modes is shown to be strongly dependent on the depth of the holes defining the photonic crystal, as well as the refractive index of the material surrounding the waveguide core.

/pdf/modal-reflectivity-in-finite-depth-two-dimensional-photonic-2i8yfunry6.pdf

Modal reflectivity in finite-depth two-dimensional photonic-crystal microcavities

Semiconductor lasers incorporating a 2D photonic lattice as a one end mirror in a Fabry-Perot cavity are demonstrated. The photonic lattice is a 2D hexagonal close-packed array with a lattice constant of 220 nm. Pulsed threshold currents of 110 mA were observed from a 180 μm laser.

/pdf/lasers-incorporating-2d-photonic-bandgap-mirrors-3qyolqf7n7.pdf

Lasers incorporating 2D photonic bandgap mirrors

A semiconductor light-emitting device having an optical cavity with a fiber grating. A vertical-cavity-surface-emitting laser can be constructed to produce single-mode tunable laser oscillation and signal wavelength conversion.

Vertical-cavity-surface-emitting semiconductor devices with fiber-coupled optical cavity

A semiconductor light-emitting device having one or more depletion regions that are controlled by one or more control electrodes to vary the spatial distribution of the carriers in an active layer. The voltages on the control electrodes can be controlled to modulate the current density in the active layer and the output light intensity. The polarization of a surface emitting diode laser based on this device can be controlled or modulated.

John O'Brien

Papers

Two-dimensional photonic bandgap defect laser

Modal reflectivity in finite-depth two-dimensional photonic-crystal microcavities

Lasers incorporating 2D photonic bandgap mirrors

Vertical-cavity-surface-emitting semiconductor devices with fiber-coupled optical cavity

Semiconductor device with electrostatic control