Fabrication of photonic crystals and Nanocavities

The fabrication of three-dimensional inverse woodpile photonic crystals ishighly desirable because of their predicted large photonic band gap, theirconceptual ease of fabrication, and their robustness to withstand deviationsfrom the ideal geometry that are intrinsic to nanofabrication. In this thesis,several fabrication methods were investigated to obtain three-dimensionalinverse woodpile photonic crystals. Preferably, the entire process is compatiblewith methods used in the complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS) industry to allow the incorporation of the photonic crystals in siliconintegrated circuits. The effects of fabrication induced deviations on thephotonic band gap of the structures were quantified. Furthermore, we havereported a new method to obtain material cavities that will act as opticalcavities in opal photonic crystals.Although the photonic band gap in inverse woodpile crystals is generallyrobust to disorder, it is sensitive to tapering of the pores. Nonetheless, withinthe limits of the fabrication methods, the fabricated crystals are expectedto remain strongly photonic. In addition, a different crystal geometry wasfound that yields a slightly larger band gap. By changing the lithographicprocesses in our fabrication scheme, obtaining this crystal geometry is withinreach.