We present and experimentally validate self-collimation in planar photonic crystals as a new means of achieving structureless confinement of light in optical devices. We demonstrate the ability to arbitrarily route light by exploiting the dispersive characteristics of the photonic crystal. Propagation loss as low as 2.17 dB/mm is observed, and proposed applications of these devices are presented.

We present the design and fabrication of a planar structure for coupling light from a multimode feed waveguide into a single-line-defect photonic-crystal waveguide. Finite-difference time-domain calculations predict a coupling efficiency of greater than 90%, and preliminary experimental results indicate successful coupling through a single-line-defect photonic-crystal waveguide. Device design, fabrication, and characterization are presented.

We propose a method for the fabrication of three-dimensional photonic-crystal structures using conventional planar silicon micromachining. The method utilizes a single planar etch mask coupled with time-multiplexed, sidewall-passivating, deep anisotropic reactive-ion etching, to create an array of spherical voids with three-dimensional symmetry. Preliminary results are presented that demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.

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