Photonic band structure: Non-spherical atoms in the face-centered-cubic case

Abstract

We introduce a practical, new, face-centered-cubic (FCC) dielectric structure which simultaneously solves two of the outstanding problems in photonic band structure. In this new “photonic crystal” the atoms are non-spherical, lifting the degeneracy at the W-point of the Brillouin zone, and permitting a full photonic band gap rather than a pseudogap. Furthermore, this fully 3-dimensional FCC structure lends itself readily to microfabrication on the scale of optical wavelengths. It is created by simply drilling 3 sets of holes 35.26° off the vertical into the top surface of a solid slab or wafer, as can be done for example by chemical beam assisted ion etching. It appears that the application of photonic band gaps to semiconductor physics, optical and atomic physics may soon be practical.