Two- and Three-Dimensional Photonic Crystals in III–V Semiconductors

Abstract

There has been increasing interest in photonic crystals in which the refractive index changes periodically. A photonic bandgap can be formed in the crystals, and the propagation of electromagnetic waves is prohibited for all wave vectors in this bandgap. Various important scientific and engineering applications, such as control of spontaneous emission, sharp bending of light, trapping of photons, and so on, may be realized by creating photonicbandgap crystals and engineering the defects and light-emitters. In the field of two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals, some important contributions aiming at device applications have included Scherer et al.'s demonstration that a single defect can be utilized as a very tiny cavity for light emission, and Joannopoulos et al.'s work on 2D photonic-crystal circuits. Here, the present status of our work in III–V semiconductor-based 2D and 3D photonic crystals is briefly reviewed.