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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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.
Focus
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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