Large-scale synthesis of a silicon photonic crystal with a complete three-dimensional bandgap near 1.5 micrometres

Photonic technology, using light instead of electrons as the information carrier, is increasingly replacing electronics in communication and information management systems. Microscopic light manipulation, for this purpose, is achievable through photonic bandgap materials, a special class of photonic crystals in which three-dimensional, periodic dielectric constant variations controllably prohibit electromagnetic propagation throughout a specified frequency band. This can result in the localization of photons, thus providing a mechanism for controlling and inhibiting spontaneous light emission that can be exploited for photonic device fabrication. In fact, carefully engineered line defects could act as waveguides connecting photonic devices in all-optical microchips, and infiltration of the photonic material with suitable liquid crystals might produce photonic bandgap structures (and hence light-flow patterns) fully tunable by an externally applied voltage. However, the realization of this technology requires a strategy for the efficient synthesis of high-quality, large-scale photonic crystals with photonic bandgaps at micrometre and sub-micrometre wavelengths, and with rationally designed line and point defects for optical circuitry. Here we describe single crystals of silicon inverse opal with a complete three-dimensional photonic bandgap centred on 1.46 microm, produced by growing silicon inside the voids of an opal template of dose-packed silica spheres that are connected by small 'necks' formed during sintering, followed by removal of the silica template. The synthesis method is simple and inexpensive, yielding photonic crystals of pure silicon that are easily integrated with existing silicon-based microelectronics.     

分析TE模式入射角对光子晶体禁带特性的影响

利用光学传输矩阵方法,分析了TE模式光波的入射角度分别与禁带宽度、光子带隙起始波长的关系,通过优化计算得到了一系列特殊带隙结构的光子晶体,揭示了光子晶体的带隙变化规律,对不同禁带范围的要求选取恰当参数来制备所需要的光子晶体提供了理论依据。     

All-metallic three-dimensional photonic crystals with a large infrared bandgap

Three-dimensional (3D) metallic crystals are promising photonic bandgap structures: they can possess a large bandgap, new electromagnetic phenomena can be explored, and high-temperature (above 1,000 degrees C) applications may be possible. However, investigation of their photonic bandgap properties is challenging, especially in the infrared and visible spectrum, as metals are dispersive and absorbing in these regions. Studies of metallic photonic crystals have therefore mainly concentrated on microwave and millimetre wavelengths. Difficulties in fabricating 3D metallic crystals present another challenge, although emerging techniques such as self-assembly may help to resolve these problems. Here we report measurements and simulations of a 3D tungsten crystal that has a large photonic bandgap at infrared wavelengths (from about 8 to 20 microm). A very strong attenuation exists in the bandgap, approximately 30 dB per unit cell at 12 microm. These structures also possess other interesting optical properties; a sharp absorption peak is present at the photonic band edge, and a surprisingly large transmission is observed in the allowed band, below 6 microm. We propose that these 3D metallic photonic crystals can be used to integrate various photonic transport phenomena, allowing applications in thermophotovoltaics and blackbody emission.     

Experimental measurement of the photonic properties of icosahedral quasicrystals

Quasicrystalline structures may have optical bandgap properties-frequency ranges in which the propagation of light is forbidden-that make them well-suited to the scientific and technological applications for which photonic crystals are normally considered. Such quasicrystals can be constructed from two or more types of dielectric material arranged in a quasiperiodic pattern whose rotational symmetry is forbidden for periodic crystals (such as five-fold symmetry in the plane and icosahedral symmetry in three dimensions). Because quasicrystals have higher point group symmetry than ordinary crystals, their gap centre frequencies are closer and the gaps widths are more uniform-optimal conditions for forming a complete bandgap that is more closely spherically symmetric. Although previous studies have focused on one-dimensional and two-dimensional quasicrystals, where exact (one-dimensional) or approximate (two-dimensional) band structures can be calculated numerically, analogous calculations for the three-dimensional case are computationally challenging and have not yet been performed. Here we circumvent the computational problem by doing an experiment. Using stereolithography, we construct a photonic quasicrystal with centimetre-scale cells and perform microwave transmission measurements. We show that three-dimensional icosahedral quasicrystals exhibit sizeable stop gaps and, despite their quasiperiodicity, yield uncomplicated spectra that allow us to experimentally determine the faces of their effective Brillouin zones. Our studies confirm that they are excellent candidates for photonic bandgap materials.     

Ionic colloidal crystals of oppositely charged particles

Colloidal suspensions are widely used to study processes such as melting, freezing and glass transitions. This is because they display the same phase behaviour as atoms or molecules, with the nano- to micrometre size of the colloidal particles making it possible to observe them directly in real space. Another attractive feature is that different types of colloidal interactions, such as long-range repulsive, short-range attractive, hard-sphere-like and dipolar, can be realized and give rise to equilibrium phases. However, spherically symmetric, long-range attractions (that is, ionic interactions) have so far always resulted in irreversible colloidal aggregation. Here we show that the electrostatic interaction between oppositely charged particles can be tuned such that large ionic colloidal crystals form readily, with our theory and simulations confirming the stability of these structures. We find that in contrast to atomic systems, the stoichiometry of our colloidal crystals is not dictated by charge neutrality; this allows us to obtain a remarkable diversity of new binary structures. An external electric field melts the crystals, confirming that the constituent particles are indeed oppositely charged. Colloidal model systems can thus be used to study the phase behaviour of ionic species. We also expect that our approach to controlling opposite-charge interactions will facilitate the production of binary crystals of micrometre-sized particles, which could find use as advanced materials for photonic applications.     

一维光子晶体带隙结构研究

光子晶体材料的介电常数在空间中呈周期分布，这种材料存在光子带隙，引入缺陷对光有局域效应，为更好地控制光和利用光提供了新的方法。文章利用传输矩阵法计算了一维光子晶体不同结构的带隙特征，计算表明光子带隙的宽度受到材料介电常数及介质层厚度的影响。随材料介电常数及介质层厚度的增加，光子带隙宽度存在一个极大值，对于确定材料构成的光子晶体，两介质等厚时带隙最宽。     

Fabrication of photonic crystals for the visible spectrum by holographic lithography

The term 'photonics' describes a technology whereby data transmission and processing occurs largely or entirely by means of photons. Photonic crystals are microstructured materials in which the dielectric constant is periodically modulated on a length scale comparable to the desired wavelength of operation. Multiple interference between waves scattered from each unit cell of the structure may open a 'photonic bandgap'--a range of frequencies, analogous to the electronic bandgap of a semiconductor, within which no propagating electromagnetic modes exist. Numerous device principles that exploit this property have been identified. Considerable progress has now been made in constructing two-dimensional structures using conventional lithography, but the fabrication of three-dimensional photonic crystal structures for the visible spectrum remains a considerable challenge. Here we describe a technique--three-dimensional holographic lithography--that is well suited to the production of three-dimensional structures with sub-micrometre periodicity. With this technique we have made microperiodic polymeric structures, and we have used these as templates to create complementary structures with higher refractive-index contrast.     

A three-dimensional optical photonic crystal with designed point defects

Photonic crystals offer unprecedented opportunities for miniaturization and integration of optical devices. They also exhibit a variety of new physical phenomena, including suppression or enhancement of spontaneous emission, low-threshold lasing, and quantum information processing. Various techniques for the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals--such as silicon micromachining, wafer fusion bonding, holographic lithography, self-assembly, angled-etching, micromanipulation, glancing-angle deposition and auto-cloning--have been proposed and demonstrated with different levels of success. However, a critical step towards the fabrication of functional 3D devices, that is, the incorporation of microcavities or waveguides in a controllable way, has not been achieved at optical wavelengths. Here we present the fabrication of 3D photonic crystals that are particularly suited for optical device integration using a lithographic layer-by-layer approach. Point-defect microcavities are introduced during the fabrication process and optical measurements show they have resonant signatures around telecommunications wavelengths (1.3-1.5 microm). Measurements of reflectance and transmittance at near-infrared are in good agreement with numerical simulations.     

硅基微纳结构薄膜中全向光吸收效应

研究了一种由硅基光子晶体与金属复合微纳结构薄膜中的全向光吸收效应。与完整的硅/金属复合薄膜进行比较研究发现,在硅薄膜厚度相同的条件下硅基微纳结构薄膜能够使吸光度提高近70%。此外,结果显示这种光吸收增强效应对入射角度的变化不敏感。在以0°~60°角度入射的情况下,硅微纳结构薄膜都能够具备接近100%的光吸收。通过对能带以及场构型分析可以发现,这种现象产生的原因归结于金属平板与截断光子晶体中特殊的边界陷光效应和六角晶格的全向带隙。     

Complete photonic bandgaps in 12-fold symmetric quasicrystals

Photonic crystals are attracting current interest for a variety of reasons, such as their ability to inhibit the spontaneous emission of light. This and related properties arise from the formation of photonic bandgaps, whereby multiple scattering of photons by lattices of periodically varying refractive indices acts to prevent the propagation of electromagnetic waves having certain wavelengths. One route to forming photonic crystals is to etch two-dimensional periodic lattices of vertical air holes into dielectric slab waveguides. Such structures can show complete photonic bandgaps, but only for large-diameter air holes in materials of high refractive index (such as gallium arsenide, n = 3.69), which unfortunately leads to significantly reduced optical transmission when combined with optical fibres of low refractive index. It has been suggested that quasicrystalline (rather than periodic) lattices can also possess photonic bandgaps. Here we demonstrate this concept experimentally and show that it enables complete photonic bandgaps--non-directional and for any polarization--to be realized with small air holes in silicon nitride (n = 2.02), and even glass (n = 1.45). These properties make photonic quasicrystals promising for application in a range of optical devices.     

A continuous-wave Raman silicon laser

Achieving optical gain and/or lasing in silicon has been one of the most challenging goals in silicon-based photonics because bulk silicon is an indirect bandgap semiconductor and therefore has a very low light emission efficiency. Recently, stimulated Raman scattering has been used to demonstrate light amplification and lasing in silicon. However, because of the nonlinear optical loss associated with two-photon absorption (TPA)-induced free carrier absorption (FCA), until now lasing has been limited to pulsed operation. Here we demonstrate a continuous-wave silicon Raman laser. Specifically, we show that TPA-induced FCA in silicon can be significantly reduced by introducing a reverse-biased p-i-n diode embedded in a silicon waveguide. The laser cavity is formed by coating the facets of the silicon waveguide with multilayer dielectric films. We have demonstrated stable single mode laser output with side-mode suppression of over 55 dB and linewidth of less than 80 MHz. The lasing threshold depends on the p-i-n reverse bias voltage and the laser wavelength can be tuned by adjusting the wavelength of the pump laser. The demonstration of a continuous-wave silicon laser represents a significant milestone for silicon-based optoelectronic devices.     

材料色散对一维光子晶体带隙的影响研究

运用传输矩阵方法研究了材料色散对传统周期结构一维光子晶体光子带隙的影响.计算结果表明,考虑色散后,光子带隙既可能变窄也可能增宽,既可能发生红移也可能发生蓝移.光子带隙的改变与色散材料的色散强度、谐振频率及2介质材料折射率差的改变相关.色散强度越大对光子带隙的影响也越大.一般来说,若考虑色散后两介质材料的折射率差增大,则...     

三波长光子晶体耦合波分复用器的设计与仿真

目前,光子晶体的波导共振耦合技术被广泛应用,设定波长下的波导透射频率的高低成为影响器件功能优劣的重要因素。首先对比了改变光子晶体介质柱折射率和半径的大小与耦合点归一化频率的关系,之后利用时域有限差分法设计了一种由三种波导构成的共振耦合型光子晶体结构的波分复用器,并且在波长分别为1 490 nm与1 440 nm的光信号下的波导共振区域增加了一定数量的介质柱形成一种新的微腔耦合区域。并且通过在1 310 nm波长的输出信道末端改变介质柱的半径大小,使得1 310 nm波长的光信号的透射率提高到了95.5%。研究表明,通过增大介质柱半径的大小Rc,可以使得对应的光信号透射率的大幅改善。     

Three-dimensional control of light in a two-dimensional photonic crystal slab

Optoelectronic devices are increasingly important in communication and information technology. To achieve the necessary manipulation of light (which carries information in optoelectronic devices), considerable efforts are directed at the development of photonic crystals--periodic dielectric materials that have so-called photonic bandgaps, which prohibit the propagation of photons having energies within the bandgap region. Straightforward application of the bandgap concept is generally thought to require three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals; their two-dimensional (2D) counterparts confine light in the crystal plane, but not in the perpendicular z direction, which inevitably leads to diffraction losses. Nonetheless, 2D photonic crystals still attract interest because they are potentially more amenable to fabrication by existing techniques and diffraction losses need not seriously impair utility. Here we report the fabrication of a waveguide-coupled photonic crystal slab (essentially a free-standing 2D photonic crystal) with a strong 2D bandgap at wavelengths of about 1.5 microm, yet which is capable of fully controlling light in all three dimensions. These features confirm theoretical calculations on the possibility of achieving 3D light control using 2D bandgaps, with index guiding providing control in the third dimension, and raise the prospect of being able to realize unusual photonic-crystal devices, such as thresholdless lasers.     

Treating temperature effect on bandgap in polymer opal photonic crystals

The optical reflective spectra and microstruc- tures of polystyrene opal photonic crystals treated with dif- ferent temperatures have been investigated. With tempera- ture increasing, the polystyrene spheres in opal structure transform to dodecahedrons, and the peak of reflective spec- trum moves to shorter wavelength. The experiment result testifies the effect of the effective refractive index and the filling ratio to the bandgap position, and it corresponds to the theoretical simulative result.     

二维六边形晶格光子晶体的带隙研究

运用平面波展开法模拟计算了二维六边形晶格光子晶体的能带结构,得到了使光子带隙最大化的结构参数.分别以不同介质作为本底,由圆柱、正方直柱和六角形直柱空气孔构成的六边形晶格光子晶体都出现了完全光子带隙,为进一步光子晶体的实验制备和应用提供了理论依据.     

2022年纳米颗粒精确自组装热点回眸

构筑具有特定功能的复杂物质是纳米颗粒自组装的重要目标之一。聚焦于纳米颗粒自组装的基本原则,讨论了纳米粒子间的相互作用力驱动自组装具有理想性能的纳米结构和材料,精确制备从零维到三维的高质量结构,如胶体分子、纳米链、胶体晶体和光子晶体等;回顾了2022年纳米颗粒组装体在传感、光电器件、显示、药物递送和生物医疗诊断领域所取得的重要进展,并提出了该领域在构筑新物质方面面临的挑战。     

光子晶体的发展和应用

20世纪80年代末出现的光子晶体是一种具有光子带隙的新材料,它独特的性质使得光子晶体具有广泛的应用前景.该文介绍了三维光子晶体的制备技术,并综述了光子晶体的一些物理特性及在光学、微波方面的应用.     

基于粒子群算法的一维光子晶体滤波器性能优化

在一维光子晶体带隙内引入镜像缺陷,能够在特定位置形成一个尖锐的透射峰。为了获得1 550 nm中心波长处的窄带透射和高的品质因数,采用粒子群优化算法(PSO)对介质厚度进行优化,当介质层厚度d1=139 nm,d2=222 nm时,在1 550 nm波长处,获得0.95的透射率和135的品质因数。     

垂直沉积法制备二氧化硅胶体晶体及其表征

利用垂直沉积法将单分散的二氧化硅胶体微球自组装生长为胶体晶体 ,并用扫描电子显微镜和紫外可见光分光光度计对其显微形貌和光学特性进行了表征 .结果表明二氧化硅微球有序堆积 ,自组装成胶体晶体 ,其结构为FCC密排结构 ,表面为FCC密排结构的 ( 1 1 1 )面 ;反射光谱还表明 ,所制备的胶体晶体的光子带隙位于可见光波段 .与重力沉淀等其他自组装方法相比 ,垂直沉积法制备胶体晶体具有能够用胶体微球粒径和胶体溶液浓度精确控制样品厚度等优点