Photonic Crystals Made by Holographic Lithography

Abstract

A photonic crystal is a periodically structured composite material, with a unit cell whose dimensions are of the order of an optical wavelength, made from constituents whose refractive indices differ greatly (Δn is of the order of 2). Three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals typically consist of interpenetrating networks of dielectric material and air. Holographic lithography is a technology for the fabrication of photonic crystals in which the initial step is to define the 3D microstructure by interference of coherent light in a photosensitive precursor.