AVS 49th International Symposium
    Photonic Materials Topical Conference Thursday Sessions
       Session PH-ThM

Invited Paper PH-ThM1
Enhanced Optical Properties Utilizing Photonic Crystal Technology

Thursday, November 7, 2002, 8:20 am, Room C-111B

Session: Photonic Nanostructures
Presenter: L.A. Kolodziejski, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Authors: L.A. Kolodziejski, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
G.S. Petrich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
J.D. Joannopoulos, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
E.P. Ippen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
S. Fan, Stanford University
Correspondent: Click to Email
The optical performance of a number of photonic devices can be greatly enhanced by incorporating photonic crystal (PC) technology into the device design. One-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), and three-dimensional (3D) variations in the dielectric constant enable creation of photonic crystals; the operating wavelength is determined by the lattice constant with the size of the corresponding bandgap dictated by the contrast in dielectric constant and the structure's geometry. Due to the considerable difficulty in fabricating 3D semiconductor-based photonic crystals, 1D and 2D photonic crystal designs are being explored using GaAs-based high dielectric materials with large index contrast established by the use of oxidized AlAs (or Al@subx@O@suby@). As one example, the optical performance of a light-emitting diode (LED) is enhanced by utilizing a particular PC design. By etching a triangular array of holes into the top InGaP cladding layer of an InGaAs quantum well LED structure, the 980nm emission is resonantly extracted in the direction normal to the surface of the LED. Photoluminescence measurements indicate that a greater than 100-fold enhancement is obtained at the wavelengths corresponding to the resonant or leaky modes available for radiation; the data agree very well with three-dimensional simulations of the actual structure. Alternatively, by creating a PC with a greater volume ratio of air-to-dielectric, enhanced optical pumping can be achieved by improved coupling of the pump light into the high dielectric slab. As a second example,a 2D arrangement of dielectric rods offer opportunities for waveguiding and the creation of nanocavities. Unique differences exist in the case of guiding light within a 2D PC constructed of rods since the propagation of light now occurs in the lower effective dielectric constant material. Novel opportunities, as well as fabrication-related difficulties, will be discussed for photonic devices enhanced with PC technology.