In this thesis, we use E-Beam lithography to finish the process of positioning system and 2D photonic crystal. We use the new E-Beam system to define some array patterns. By this test, we obtain the minimum linewidth is 55nm, and the maximum writable range is 250£gm*250£gm. First, we fabricated the 2D photonic crystal microcavity and positioning system on the InGaAs/InAlAs which grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on InP substrate at 1564nm emission wavelength by E-beam lithography. For the positioning system, we set up a origin point first. And then we design many rectangles whose length is 1£gm, width is 10£gm and gap is 1£gm along X axis and Y axis from the origin point. All of the patterns are regarded as the ruler. Finally, we design a big rectangle whose length is 250£gm and width is 10£gm to adjust the positioning angle above the ruler. The maximum error of the positioning system is 20nm. For the 2D photonic crystal (2D PhC) microcavity, a triangular array of air columns is adopted. The lattice constant and air columns radius are 1150nm and 460nm, respectively. The TE modes photonic band gap of this structure are corresponding to wavelength range in 1535nm~1635nm. We remove signal defect and seven defects in the 2D PhC to form 2D PhC microcavities and the PhC microcavities have many defect modes. The Micro-PL measurement shows when the etching depth was deep enough, the PhC microcavities which have 1-defect and 7-defect appeared defect mode at 1622nm (a/£f=0.74) both. The intensity of 7-defect PhC is 7 times than 1-defect PhC. Both of them cooperate with our simulation and design. And the maximum Q value is about 324 at the defect mode.

As the photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) are fabricated, it is hard to modulate their optical characteristics to function as tunable optical devices. To introduce tunable optical characteristics into the PCF structures, one can infiltrate liquids into the air holes of the PCFs to form the liquid-filled PCFs. However, the propagation losses become larger due to the finite liquid-hole layers and the lossy liquids infused in all the air holes of the cladding. In this thesis, an efficient full-vector finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) mode solver cooperated with the PMLs is utilized to investigate the propagation characteristics of the selectively liquid-filled PCFs. The propagation constants and the propagation losses of the guided modes on the selectively liquid-filled PCFs can be successfully obtained. From our numerical results, the propagation losses of both the internally liquid-filled PCFs and externally liquid-filled PCFs can be efficiently reduced by the outer or inner air-hole layers, and the useful tunablility characteristics for optical device applications can be maintained. Besides, the dispersion-related devices based on the selectively liquid-filled PCFs are also investigated. It is demonstrated that a DFPCF with the flatten dispersion value D within 0 ¡Ó 1 ps/nm/km over £f = 1.45 £gm to 1.65 £gm or a DCPCF with a high negative dispersion value D = -3100 ps/nm/km at £f = 1.55 £gm can be achieved by infiltrating the liquid into all air holes or specified air-hole layers. In the experiment, a simple selectively blocking technique using the microscopy, the tool fiber and the alignment technique is employed to fabricate the internally and externally liquid-filled PCFs. The measurement of the optical characteristics of these selectively liquid-filled PCFs is carried out and compared with the simulation results.

Polarization-maintaining fibers (PMFs) have been widely studied and discussed. Nowadays, a novel polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber (PMPCF) is proposed with many advantages, such as the large mode area and the single-mode transmission in a wide frequency range. In this thesis, we propose the birefringent liquid-filled PCF with the liquid asymmetrically infiltrated in the cladding region. The Yee-mesh-based finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) method is utilized to analyze the birefringent properties of the liquid-filled PCFs. Compared with traditional PMFs, our proposed PCF possesses larger birefringence about 7.1 ¡Ñ 10-3 at 1.55 £gm with useful tunable properties. In the experiment, we have successfully fabricated the birefringent liquid-filled PCF by using the selective blocking technique. The elliptical far field can be observed for our birefringent PCF. We also demonstrate the experiment setup for estimating the birefringence of our birefringent liquid- filled PCF.

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Photonic crystals are optical materials where patterning of dielectrics on sub-wavelength length scales creates unusual optical properties such as waveguides with propagation speeds much slower than the vacuum speed of light. In this thesis, I examine the classical and quantum optical properties of such structures, specifically the enhancement of photon emission rate from a single quantum dot embedded in the waveguide (the Purcell Effect) and extrinsic scattering from an injected waveguide mode due to fabrication imperfections. The photon emission rate is found to be significantly enhanced over a large bandwidth in slow light photonic crystal waveguides and I provide detailed results for optimizing the emission properties of a novel photonic crystal ridge waveguide to suite a given application. Using an incoherent scattering theory, I show how slow light propagation enhances extrinsic scattering from unavoidable manufacturing imperfections leading to back scattering and radiation loss that scale with the group velocity v_g, as v_g^{-2} and v_g^{-1} respectively. I then improve the modeling of scattering using a coherent, multiple scattering approach to explain the experimental observation of disordered resonances in slow light waveguide modes. The theoretical predictions show good agreement with experimental measurements. This document provides a thorough introduction to the properties and problems of slow light photonic crystal waveguides. / Thesis (Master, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-03 12:29:01.696

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Photonic crystal slabs (PCS) are explored in the context of optofluidic refractive index (RI) sensing for portable, label-free, biosensing applications. The accuracy of RI sensors is limited by noise signals that cause a change in RI that cannot be differentiated from the signal of interest. For this reason self-referencing schemes that provide rejection of common mode signals, and an inherent temperature stabilization approach, are explored. A novel referencing method that allows for frequency shifts to be read out in the transmission power spectrum is proposed and characterized. In terms of improving sensing metrics the relevant characteristics of various PCS architectures are explored numerically. In addition, a novel suspended \emph{air-substrate} device that offers greatly improved sensitivity is proposed and characterized. An experimental measurement near the theoretical detection limit for a PCS is demonstrated. In understanding measurement errors the crossed-polarization effect and its practical limitations are explored numerically.

Photonic crystal slabs (PCS) are explored in the context of optofluidic refractive index (RI) sensing for portable, label-free, biosensing applications. The accuracy of RI sensors is limited by noise signals that cause a change in RI that cannot be differentiated from the signal of interest. For this reason self-referencing schemes that provide rejection of common mode signals, and an inherent temperature stabilization approach, are explored. A novel referencing method that allows for frequency shifts to be read out in the transmission power spectrum is proposed and characterized. In terms of improving sensing metrics the relevant characteristics of various PCS architectures are explored numerically. In addition, a novel suspended \emph{air-substrate} device that offers greatly improved sensitivity is proposed and characterized. An experimental measurement near the theoretical detection limit for a PCS is demonstrated. In understanding measurement errors the crossed-polarization effect and its practical limitations are explored numerically.