3D Nanophotonics in artificially structured materials

3D photonic crystal materials with a full photonic bandgap hold much promise for guiding, storing and controlling light but such structures are not routinely researched because of the difficulty of fabrication of arbitrary structures at the wavelength scale. In this project, we aim to fabricate wavelength-scale 3D structures blocking light propagation and orientation in all directions and polarizations in the 0.5–1.6 µm region, and deliver the significant impact of emerging technologies (e.g., novel sensors, biomimetic structures, nano-lasers, and quantum light sources). To this end, the three objectives of the proposed work are:

  • Fabricating structures for controlling light trapping and propagation in the wavelength range of 0.5–1.6 µm;
  • Creating full photonic bandgap materials by backfilling the low index contrast polymer templates with high index chalcogenide materials using CVD/ALD techniques;
  • Investigating the application of 3D photonic structures in novel sensors, biomimetic structures, nano-lasers and quantum light sources. 

PGR Supervision:

Mr Yu-Shao Jacky Chen

  • Title: Three-Dimensional Nanostructures for Nanophotonics (Start Date: 01/10/2019)

Funding:

  1. 3D Nanophotonics in Artificially Structured Chalcogenide Materials (EPSRC New Investigator Award) – PI: Dr. Ying-Lung Daniel Ho, funded by the EPSRC grant no. EP/V040030/1, value (£): 379,763, 01/09/2021 – 31/08/2024.
  2. Chalcogenide Photonic Technologies (EPSRC Standard Research) – PI: Prof. John Rarity, Researcher Co-I: Dr. Ying-Lung Daniel Ho, funded by the EPSRC grant no. EP/M009033/1, value (£): 559,500, 01/05/2015 – 30/04/2018.
  3. Chalcogenide Direct Write 3D Nanophononics – PI: Prof. John Rarity, Co-I: Dr. Ying-Lung Daniel Ho, funded by the ChAMP and WAFT Collaboration Fund, EPSRC Manufacturing Advanced Functional Materials Programme, value (£): 4,200, 15/05/2018 – 30/09/2018.

Publications:

  1. M. P. C. Taverne, X. Zheng, Y.-S. J. Chen, K. A. Morgan, L. Chen, N. M. Palakkool, D. Rezaie, H. Awachi, J. G. Rarity, D. W. Hewak, C.-C. Huang, Y. -L. D. Ho*, “Conformal CVD-grown MoS2 on Three-dimensional Woodpile Photonic Crystals for Photonic Bandgap Engineering”, ACS Appl. Opt. Mater. 1, 5, 990–996 (2023).
  2. M. P. C. Taverne, Y.-L. D. Ho*, J. G. Rarity, “Strongly Confining Light with Air-mode Cavities in Inverse Rod-Connected Diamond Photonic Crystals”, Crystals 12, 3, 303 (2022).
  3. Lifeng Chen, Katrina Morgan, Ghada Alzaidy, Chung-Che Huang, Y. -L. Daniel Ho*, Mike P. C. Taverne, Xu Zheng, Zhong Ren, Daniel W. Hewak, John G. Rarity, “Observation of Complete Photonic Bandgap in Low Refractive Index Contrast Inverse Rod-Connected Diamond Structured Chalcogenides”, ACS Photonics 6, 1248−1254 (2019).
  4. M. P. C. Taverne, Y.-L. D. Ho*, X. Zheng, L.-F. Chen, C.-H. N. Fang, and J. G. Rarity, “Strong Light Confinement in Rod-Connected Diamond Photonic Crystals” Opt. Lett. 43, 5202- 5205 (2018).
  5. Xu Zheng, Mike P. C. Taverne, Y.-L. D. Ho, and John G. Rarity, “Cavity Design in Woodpile Based 3D Photonic Crystal”, Appl. Sci. 8, 1087 (2018).
  6. L.-F. Chen, M. Lopez-Garcia, M. P. C. Taverne, X. Zheng, J.-D. Lin, Y.-L. D. Ho*, J. G. Rarity “Direct Wide-angle Measurement of Photonic Band-structure in a Three-dimensional Photonic Crystal using Infrared Fourier Imaging Spectroscopy”, Opt. Lett. 42, 1584-1587 (2017).
  7. M. P. C. Taverne, Y.-L. D. Ho*, L.-F. Chen, X. Zheng, M. Lopez-Garcia, and J. G. Rarity, “Modelling of Defect Cavities Formed in Inverse Three-Dimensional Rod-Connected Diamond Photonic Crystals”, EPL (Europhys. Lett.) 116, 64007 (2017).
  8. Y. Hu, B. Miles, Y.-L. D. Ho, M. P. C. Taverne, L.-F. Chen, H. Gersen, J. G. Rarity, and C. F. J. Faul, “Towards direct laser writing of actively tunable three-dimensional photonic crystals,”, Adv. Opt. Mater. 5, 1600458 (2017).
  9. L.-F. Chen, M. P. C. Taverne, X. Zheng, J.-D. Lin, R. Oulton, M. Lopez-Garcia, Y.-L. D. Ho, J. G. Rarity “Evidence of Near-Infrared Partial Photonic Bandgap in Polymeric Rod-connected Diamond Structure”, Opt. Express 23, 26565-26575 (2015).
  10. M. P. C. Taverne, Y.-L. D. Ho, J. G. Rarity*, “Investigation of defect cavities formed in three-dimensional woodpile photonic crystals”, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B. 32, 639-648 (2015).
  11. Y.-L. D. Ho, P. S. Ivanov, E. Engin, M. F. J. Nicol, M. P. C. Taverne, Chengyong Hu, M. J. Cryan, I. J. Craddock, C. J. Railton, J. G. Rarity, “FDTD Simulation of Inverse Three-Dimensional Face-centered Cubic Photonic Crystal Cavities”, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 47, 1480–1492 (2011).

Collaborators: