Centimeter-scale suspended photonic crystal mirrors.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Photonic crystal (PhC) membranes offer high reflectivity for optics experiments.
• Conventional mirrors lack the mechanical compliance and lightweight properties required for some applications.
• Current PhC mirrors are limited to microscale diameters (≤300 μm) due to nanofabrication constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally demonstrate suspended PhC mirrors with macroscopic dimensions.
• To achieve high reflectivity (>90%) in large-area PhC mirrors.
• To overcome nanofabrication limitations for scaling up PhC mirror technology.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of suspended single-layer dielectric PhC membranes.
• Experimental measurement of optical reflectivity at 1550 nm wavelength.
• Characterization of mirror performance across areas up to 10 × 10 mm².

Main Results:

• Demonstration of suspended PhC mirrors with areas up to 10 × 10 mm².
• Achieved reflectivities greater than 90% on 56 nm thick mirrors.
• Unrivaled performance compared to microscale PhC mirrors.

Conclusions:

• Successfully scaled PhC mirrors to macroscopic dimensions while maintaining high reflectivity.
• These large-area PhC mirrors offer a promising alternative to conventional mirrors for various optics experiments.
• The developed technology bridges the gap between nanoscale fabrication and macroscopic optical components.