Fabrication of optical devices based on two dimensional photonic crystal structures and apparatus made thereby

Abstract

A broad class of devices, both active and passive, such as waveguides, microcavities, filters, resonators, lasers, switches, modulators, etc. can be fabricated using the disclosed method. The method is one in which nanocavities in semiconductor membranes can be fabricated, which method is an advantage regardless of the type of device which is ultimately being fabricated therefrom. The method of the invention is illustrated in the case of a photonic crystals waveguide as being made in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) material. However, the method is not limited to this type of material and can be used in other equivalent material structures such as AlGaAs, InGaAsP, or the like. The semiconductor membranes which are fabricated incorporate two dimensional photonic crystals for confinement of light in the lateral or in-plane direction and total internal reflection for the confinement in vertical direction.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.