A NEW FACE-CENTERED-CUBIC PHOTONIC CRYSTAL FOR MICROWAVE AND MILLIMETER-WAVE APPLICATIONS

Three-dimensional photonic crystals are fabricated that consist of a f ace-centered-cubic lattice of air atoms embedded in a synthetic dielec tric matrix. The crystals are formed by stacking triangular arrays of cylindrical atoms in a close-packed arrangement. The fabrication techn ique is much simpler than previous methods and is well suited to produ cing photonic band gaps in the microwave and millimeter-wave regions. Microwave measurements provide strong evidence for a photonic band gap between approximately 17 and 18 GHz in a crystal having a volumetric air fraction of 60%. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.