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Photonic band structure: The face-centered-cubic case employing nonspherical atoms

E. Yablonovitch, T. J. Gmitter, and K. M. Leung
Phys. Rev. Lett. 67, 2295 – Published 21 October 1991
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An article within the collection: Letters from the Past - A PRL Retrospective
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Abstract

We introduce a practical, new, face-centered-cubic dielectric structure which simultaneously solves two of the outstanding problems in photonic band structure. In this new ‘‘photonic crystal’’ the atoms are nonspherical, lifting the degeneracy at the W point of the Brillouin zone, and permitting a full photonic band gap rather than a pseudogap. Furthermore, this fully three-dimensional fcc structure lends itself readily to microfabrication on the scale of optical wavelengths. It is created by simply drilling three sets of holes 35.26° off vertical into the top surface of a solid slab or wafer, as can be done, for example, by chemical-beam-assisted ion etching.

  • Received 26 December 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.67.2295

©1991 American Physical Society

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This article appears in the following collection:

Letters from the Past - A PRL Retrospective

2008 marked PRL’s 50th anniversary. As part of the celebrations a collection of milestone Letters was started. The collection contains Letters that have made long-lived contributions to physics, either by announcing significant discoveries, or by initiating new areas of research.

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Landmarks—The Birth of Photonic Crystals

Published 23 August 2013

Periodic structures that control photons, much as semiconductors control electrons, came into being in the late 1980s, through a complex interchange between experiment and theory.

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Authors & Affiliations

E. Yablonovitch and T. J. Gmitter

  • Bell Communications Research, Navesink Research Center, Red Bank, New Jersey 07701-7040

K. M. Leung

  • Department of Physics, Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, New York 11201

References

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Issue

Vol. 67, Iss. 17 — 21 October 1991

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