Method of constructing a reconfigurable photonic band gap device
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorWeimin Zhou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for constructing a reconfigurable photonic band gap device having a substrate and a crystal membrane with a lattice structure having its ends attached to a substrate so that a midportion of the lattice membrane is spaced upwardly from the substrate and forms a chamber therebetween. A bridge is disposed in the chamber between and separated from both the lattice membrane midportion and the substrate. At least one post is attached to the bridge and aligned with at least one hole in the lattice so that movement of the bridge relative to the lattice varies the degree of insertion of the post relative to its associated hole to vary the photonic band gap behavior of the device.
Claims7
A method for constructing a reconfigurable photonic band gap device comprising the steps of:
- forming a wafer having a crystal substrate, a sacrificial layer overlying said crystal substrate, a bridge layer overlying said sacrificial layer and a crystal membrane overlying said bridge layer,
- etching a photonic crystal lattice structure having at least one hole in said membrane,
- removing at least a portion of said sacrificial layer beneath said lattice,
- removing only a portion of said bridge layer sufficient to separate said bridge layer from said membrane while retaining at least one post attached to said bridge layer and aligned with one hole in said lattice structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.