Photonic crystal as a common tool of optics industries

Abstract

The autocloning process is a key technology for producing photonic crystals with high reproducibility and high productivity. After the formation of a periodic corrugation pattern on the substrate, two kinds of dielectric film are stacked alternately on a substrate by an appropriate combination of sputter deposition and sputter etching. The technology offers a means of placing accurately designed optical materials at desired places, and therefore, the process is useful for producing integrated functional components in almost every branch of optics. In this paper, we offer a picture of the technology including features of the process and several applications in various optics industries such as telecommunication and nontelcom.