Transistor utilizing photonic band-gap material and integrated circuit devices comprising same

An article including a photonic band-gap device for substantially preventing electromagnetic radiation having one or more wavelengths from propagating within the device, the photonic-band gap device comprising a substrate and a photoresponsive region disposed in the substrate so that the behavior of the photonic band-gap device in substantially preventing the propagation of radiation may be modified by applying light to the photoresponsive region, in which the photoresponsive region comprises a plurality of rods of photoresponsive materials disposed in the substrate.

A communications system comprising a transmitter, an N-channel multiplexer/demultiplexer, and a receiver connected by a trunk optical fiber, in which at least one of the transmitter and the receiver comprises a photonic band-gap device for substantially preventing electromagnetic radiation having one or more wavelengths from propagating within the device, the photonic-band gap device comprising a substrate and a photoresponsive region disposed in the substrate so that the behavior of the photonic band-gap device in substantially preventing the propagation of radiation may be modified by applying light to the photoresponsive region.

A photonic band-gap transistor comprising:

• a substrate;
• a plurality of dielectric rods and a plurality of photoresponsive rods arranged in a matrix in the substrate, and
• a light propagation path defined in the substrate by the arrangement of the plurality of dielectric rods for the routing of a light signal through the structure from an inlet to an outlet, the light propagation path comprising an input signal path beginning at the inlet, an output signal path ending at the outlet, and a control signal path, in which the input signal path and the control signal path merge at a common intersection point to be joined with the output signal path, and the photoresponsive rods are disposed within the light propagation path at the common intersection point, whereby as the signal is routed through the photonic band-gap transistor along the light propagation path from the inlet to the outlet, a control signal may be selectively passed through the control signal path to the photoresponsive rods to alter the optical properties of the photoresponsive rods and thereby change the signal generated by the photonic band-gap transistor at the outlet.

A method for modifying the photonic bandgap behavior of a photonic band-gap device comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a photonic band-gap device for substantially preventing electromagnetic radiation having one or more wavelengths from propagating within the device, the photonic-band gap device comprising a substrate and a photoresponsive region disposed in the substrate so that the behavior of the photonic band-gap device in substantially preventing the propagation of radiation may be modified by applying light to the photoresponsive region;
• and (b) applying light to the device to alter the optical properties of the photoresponsive region.